Pokemon Saga: The Silent Heroine
by Mage of Hope
Summary: Novelization of Pokemon FireRed!While Gary Oaks is still the cocky and arrogant boy he is, Lyfa's the more quiet, polite kind. When Lyfa finally becomes a Pokemon Trainer and later, a Coordinating Performer,just what trials does she have to face as she battles Gyms, take part in Contest Performances, and deal with Team Rocket and love? Leaf x Gary shipping! Includes Mega Evolution!
1. Prologue

**Originally, I was planning to make this in case Pokemon Company decided to make a remake of Pokemon Leaf Green and stuff, like when they did with Omega Ruby and Sapphire. But I grew a bit impatient and now, here's the first chapter!**

**Disclaimer: Mage of Hope doesn't own Pokemon, only the OCs! Also, Pokemon Company owns the rest! **

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"Lyfa? Please, wake up, dearie. It's time to get up."

Yawning softly, a young girl stretched her arms wide in the air as she sat up in her bed. She rubbed one of her half-lidded eyes as she turned to look at her Grandma, who had woken her up.

"Good morning, Grandma..."

Her Grandma smiled before she continued. "Good morning to you, Lyfa. Now, get dressed. I've brought you some clothes for you to try out today. They're in the closet. I've also made your favorite Oran Berry pancakes for you."

Hearing the name of one of her favorite foods was enough to cause Lyfa to drool, even a little, causing her Grandma to chuckle lightly. Embarrassed, Lyfa wiped away the drool with one hand before her expression changed into a confused one. Normally, her Grandma would make those kinds of pancakes on special occasions, like her birthday. But her birthday was just last month, so what was so special today?

Just before Lyfa could change into her clothes, she noticed her Grandma trying to walk down the stairs. Being an old woman, her Grandma required a walking stick to help her walk around. Worried for her frail Grandma, and being the good little granddaughter she is, Lyfa placed a hand on her Grandma's back and stomach and supported her, following her as she stepped down the stairs.

"Oh...thank you, Lyfa," replied Grandma, patting Lyfa on the cheek lightly before taking her leave towards the kitchen. Relieved that her Grandma would be alright, Lyfa made her way up the stairs and into her room, where she began getting ready to go outside.

Walking down the stairs in a neat fashion, Lyfa reappeared with the new clothing her Grandma purchased for her. It consisted of a bright green sleeveless shirt that fitted her quite nicely, a dark green skirt, and a white and green hat. She wore some armlets as accessories and carried her backpack as she entered the kitchen.

While eating breakfast, Lyfa couldn't help but constantly assisted her Grandma eat her share of the pancakes. For instance, every two minutes or so, Leaf would help cut portions of her Grandma's pancakes and feed them to her. Whenever Grandma wanted more syrup or needed water, Lyfa was always there by her side. Of course, it was never a bother for Lyfa since she was used to helping out her Grandma a lot.

When breakfast was finished, Leaf helped put the dirty food plates into the sink and helped her Grandma stand up. Just before Leaf and Grandma could do one of their dailt chores, such as dishwashing, Grandma nudged her walking stick at Lyfa.

"Lyfa, it's alright. I'll take care of the dishes. Why don't you run along?" offered Grandma, offering a smile at her young granddaughter. Seeing Lyfa get worried and about to protest, Grandma shook her head and said, "Oh! I almost forgot! Professor Oak told me to tell you to come to his lab for something extremely important!"

Lyfa paused, wondering if her Grandma was just making that up as an excuse for her to go outside and leave Grandma all by herself. Suddenly, she remember what today was, and why it was so important!

Today was the day where she would get her first Pokemon and become an official Pokemon Trainer!

Looking back at her Grandma, who gave her a reassuring smile, Lyfa nodded back, knowing full well what her Grandma was thinking. She picked up her backpack from the seat and ran out the door, rushing towards Professor Oak's lab with her Grandma's words stuck in her head.

_Good luck, Lyfa. _

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**Hey, guys! After watching the Origin series, I couldn't help but do this sort of fanfic! I know the first chapter, aka the prologue, is short, but the next one is more fluffy and a bit more longer! I'll try my best to make this story as descriptive as I could!**

**In the Fire Red and Leaf Green and whatever games Kanto has, all the player has is their mother, so I decided to change things up a bit! In this story, there are going to be lots of different things changed! You'll see! Oh, and Mega Evolution is coming, no doubt!**

**Sure, I like the name Leaf, but I decided to go for something different. Luckily, there was a name similar to Leaf, and I kinda admit, I did steal it from SAO, but Lyfa sounds like a cute name for a girl!**

**Anyways, read and review, and if you guys have anymore ideas, feel free to post your ideas in the reviews and I'll check them out!**


	2. Choose Your Pokemon!

**Hey, thanks for reviewing, you guys! Like I promised, this chapter is much more longer than the last one!**

**Disclaimer: Mage of Hope doesn't own Pokemon, only the OCs! Pokemon Company owns the rest! **

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Lyfa closed the front gate of her house before continuing to run towards Professor Oak's lab. She was careful not to step on or run into any of the residents' Pokemon as she continued down the path to the laboratory. Some of the neighbors spotted her, calling out good mornings, which Lyfa responded back with a silent wave.

Pallet Town was the smallest town in all of Kanto, but Professor Oak's well-known reputation made the town brighter and a bit bigger even to this day. The people were happy, living and helping with their own Pokemon, enjoying the bright days to come ahead. Both Pokemon and the people in the town could be seen playing together, helping one another, battling, anything!

As Lyfa was about to make a turn into a new street, a small ball plonked her on the leg, causing her to stop and pick up the ball. Two little girls with a Jigglypuff was a little far off the distance, waving at Lyfa.

"Miss! Can you throw back the ball please?"

Smiling and nodding her head, Lyfa walked forward a few steps before tossing the ball lightly at the children. The Jigglypuff jumped up and floated in the air, catching the ball with its arms before descending back down. Both the little girls and especially the Jigglypuff giggled and waved at Lyfa, as if it was their way of thanking her.

Soon, Lyfa eventually arrived in front of the laboratory, a little nervous of what's to come. After all, today was her first day as a Pokemon Trainer, and where she could obtain her first Pokemon! Sucking in a deep breath, Lyfa opened the doors in front of her and stepped inside.

Inside the laboratory was like any other lab; Messy, full of advanced machines, books shuffled into bookshelves, and other professors and lab assistants scrambling to get their work done. Yup, just another typical day for the Professor Oak's Laboratory company.

One of the professors who was carrying a stack of papers, accidentally tripped and fell facedown, dropping and scattering his papers all around the ground. He pushed his glasses upwards before realizing what happened.

"Aw! It'll take me forever to collect all of this!" complained the glasses-wearing professor, hurrying to gather up his fallen papers. Shrugging and having nothing else to do, Lyfa bent down and helped collected the papers with him. "Ah, thank you!"

"..." Lyfa gave a curt nod at him, placing a small stack of papers she collected right next to her before continuing to pick up the rest.

"Hey, Green! Over here!"

Recognizing that voice, Lyfa glanced up for a moment to see Gary, the arrogant and cocky know-it-all son of Professor Oak. It did sound a bit rude to Lyfa, but it was all true since he constantly gets on her nerves a lot, even if she doesn't show it. It seemed that today, he was also getting his first Pokemon. Since Professor Oak wasn't here right now, Lyfa decided to resume helping out the poor professor who dropped his papers.

"Hey! Don't just ignore me!"

If there was at least one bad trait Gary had, it was his short temper. Though her head was lowered, she couldn't help but smile at Gary's irritation. It was like her own personal life mission to make him lose his temper at every chance she got, and she had to admit, it was pretty entertaining watching him like this.

Gary's left eye twitched as he held up his shaking fist, like he wanted to punch Lyfa. Unfortunately, it wasn't his style to hit girls, and goddamnit, Lyfa was 100% a female, no doubt! Every single time they met up, they'd have short conversations, even though Lyfa didn't speak much. They weren't exactly friends, but much more like rivals. Plus, Gary always did refer to Lyfa as her last name, Green.

"Hey! I know you're grinning at me, Green! Quit it!"

Then, the lab doors reopened, revealing to be Professor Oak, all tired and flustered. It seemed that he was in such a hurry to get back to his lab, considering how late he was.

Gary, seeing his grandfather finally arrive, placed his hands on his hips. "Finally! I've been waiting for like, forever! Where were you?"

"Sorry about that, Gary," apologized Professor Oak kindly, scrambling to his work desk to place his belongings here and there. "I was...up late last night! Doing important stuff!" _'That's the last time I ever watch TV drama shows during the nighttime!' _

Gary raised an eyebrow, suspicious of his activities before shrugging it off. "Eh, makes no difference! Anyways, where's those three starter Pokemon you promised?!"

"Hold on. Where's Lyfa?" wondered Oak, glancing around the lab. At last, he spotted her helping a glasses-wearing professor pick up some papers off the ground. "Ah, there she is! Lyfa, dear! It's time to get your first Pokemon!"

Looking up for a brief moment, Lyfa smiled and shook her head before waving her hand at Professor Oak, gesturing it was alright for him to go on without her. She went back to work, collecting more and more papers before handing them off to the glasses-wearing professor.

Gary stretched his arms, looking rather excited and understanding what Lyfa meant. "Well, now that that's settled-!"

"Hold on, Gary! We're not starting until Lyfa gets here," said Professor Oak sternly.

"Aww, gramps! Can't I just go on ahead and pick one first?"

"Nope! You'll get to choose once Lyfa's finished! I mean, just look at the girl! All nice and helping out one of my colleagues pick up his work!"

While Lyfa was still gathering up papers left and right, she felt a presence bent down right next to her and help scoop up the other remaining papers. To her surprise, it happened to be Gary, who looked a bit mad and annoyed.

"Don't get the wrong idea, Green! It's not like I want to do this, but because I want to hurry up and get my own damn Pokemon!"

"Ahem! Language, Gary!"

"Ugh...sorry, gramps! I'll _try _to be more careful next time!" However, the crossing of his fingers spoke otherwise.

Once all the papers were collected, both Lyfa and Gary walked together to get their first Pokemon. Actually, more like Gary raced ahead of Lyfa since he was very impatient. Lyfa was the only one walking patiently.

"Oh! One more thing! Here you go! Your own Pokedex!" Professor Oak handed some sort of small, rectangle-shaped device to both Gary and Lyfa. "It automatically records all the data on Pokemon you've seen or caught. It's a high-tech digital encyclopedia!"

Astonished, both Lyfa and Gary pushed a few random buttons on their own Pokedexes, discovering a few things with the device. Both of their Pokedexes may be the same, but the only obvious difference happened to be the color; Gary having a blue-colored Pokedex while Lyfa had a green version.

"...Thank you," spoke up Lyfa quietly, hugging the Pokedex close to her chest as if cherishing it.

"Oh! The silent do-gooder speaks!" teased Gary, poking her forehead.

"Now then, you'll each receive one Pokemon. But before that, I want you two to do something very important," announced Professor Oak. "And that is to make a complete guide of all the Pokemon in the world! That, has always been my dream. You see, I'm too old to do anything but research new kinds of Pokemon. So, I want the two of you to help fufill my dream! Can I count on you?"

Lyfa nodded swiftly, but Gary seemed more fixated on another situation. "Now, Gramps! You haven't forgotten about the whole first Pokemon thing, right?"

Professor Oak smiled, loving the joys of the youth. "Yes, I haven't forgotten about it. You may choose one of the three you like." He fished out three Pokeballs from his bag before placing them on a table for all to see. Even though they look the same, each Pokeball contains a different kind of Pokemon.

"Hey, since I'm the one who got here first, I should decide first!" declared Gary, grinning happily. He was itching for one, and he couldn't contain his excitement any longer, or it just might explode!

Lyfa shrugged and nodded her head, stepping back to allow Gary to choose. It wouldn't make much of a difference if he went or not, and she did have a difficult choice to make, picking one out of three-actually, two once Gary chooses one.

"Alright! I pick this one!" Gary held up a Pokeball that was on the far right, as if winning a trophy. He threw the Pokeball into the air, and out from the bright light came out a small, blue turtle Pokemon by the name of Squirtle.

"Squirt! Squirtle!" _Ha! You were wrong, Charmander! I did get chosen first! Water triumphs all! _

"Ah! You chosen Squirtle, the Tiny Turtle Pokemon! An excellent choice, Gary!" complimented Professor Oak before turning to Lyfa. "Now, what will you choose, Lyfa?"

Before she could decide on a Pokemon, Lyfa took her Pokedex out and waved it in front of Squirtle, trying to see if her Pokedex would gather information simply through the sensors, and sure enough, it worked.

**"Squirtle, the Tiny Turtle Pokemon. After birth, its back swells and hardens into a shell. It also sprays foam from its mouth whenever in danger." **

"Oh! I see you've managed to figure out how the Pokedex works, Lyfa!" said Professor Oak. "That's one down, and many more to go!"

"Hurry up! I wanna see what sort of Pokemon you're going to choose!" whinned Gary impatiently, tapping his foot into the ground several times.

Lyfa nodded, turning back to the last two remaining Pokeballs. Deciding to take the middle Pokeball, she made the same motion Gary did moments ago and threw it into the air. The Pokeball opened wide, and popped out a Charmander, who fell and landed right into Lyfa's arms.

"AAAAHHH! HOT HOT HOT! FIRE!"

Seeing flame on Charmander's tail so close to Lyfa accidentally made the young Trainer panic and misunderstand. She screamed and began bouncing her new Pokemon in her arms as she was running around aimlessly in the lab, trying not to get burned. At the same time, she was also trying not to drop her cute new Charmander, but had to avoid the fire in its tail.

This lasted for about five minutes, and at that time, Professor Oak and some of his assistants have managed to calm down both Lyfa and Charmander, who was confused and a little frightened over why its new mistress was screaming all of a sudden.

Once the whole chaotic situation was over, Gary started crackling with laughter, throwing his head back. Even his new Pokemon, Squirtle, was laughing, but only at Charmander, who unfortunately ended up with such an embarrassing Trainer.

"Oh man! I wished I bought a camera! Your expression was so hilarious, Green!"

"Squirtle! Squirt! Squirtle! Squirt!" _Hahahahahaha! I can't believe you have such a clumsy Trainer, Charmander!" _

Face completely red, Lyfa had a sudden interest in her shoes, too embarrassed to show her face. Charmander, however, began barking back. _Hey! Stop laughing, you idiot! When I battle you, you're going to be sorry!" _

"Gary! Stop laughing! You're hurting Lyfa's feelings!" scolded Professor Oak, not tolerating his grandson's rude behavior. Ever since he was a child, Gary was still a good kid, but sometimes, he happened to be a bully too, which made a bit difficult for the old professor to control him, considering how much work he had as well.

As Professor Oak and Gary were arguing, somewhat, Lyfa placed Charmander down on the ground and faced it. "...I'm sorry for making a scene. My name is Lyfa." She gently rubbed the small flame lizard's head, making it cry out in joy. Remembering she still had her Pokedex, she activated it to gather Charmander's data.

**"Charmander, the Lizard Pokemon. The flame on its tail indicates its emotions. For example, the flame wavers if Charmander is happy. However, the flame increases whenever it's enraged." **

Not only did she find Charmander's basic data, she also found out the two moves her Charmander had, along with his gender, which happened to be male. To be honest, she was kinda hoping her starter would be female, but a male starter was good as well.

Gary sighed, having given up from his little argument with his grandfather. "...Fine, fine! I'll go apologize!" He walked over to Lyfa, who was currently bonding with Charmander. "Lyfa? I...alright, Gramps told me to apologize, and so, here I am now."

Lyfa nodded, not really caring much for his apology. She was pretty used to his attitude anyways, so she quickly forgave him before scooping up her Charmander in her arms.

"Oh! I remember something!" spoke up Professor Oak. "If you want, you can even nickname your own Pokemon! Many people do that to avoid confusion between other Pokemon!"

"A nickname, huh?" Gary looked back at his Squirtle, who was trying to look all cool and confident for his master. "Nah! I don't need a nickname for my Pokemon!"

Staring at her Charmander, Lyfa petted him as she tried to think of a good name. "...Do you want your new name to be...Blaze?"

Blaze nodded and hugged his mistress close to her chest, loving his new name. During his time in the lab, he did learn that the word, blaze, happened to be something related to fire, so it was the perfect name for him! Plus, it sounded pretty cool. WAY better than the dumb name, 'Squirtle.'

"Hey, Lyfa! How about we test out our new Pokemon with a battle?" asked Gary, grinning confidently. "After all, there's no way a newbie like you would ever beat me and my Squirtle!"

_'But you're a newbie too,' _Lyfa wanted to say. Instead, she shook her head, not because she was afraid to back down from a fight. No, she just didn't want to cause a mess in the lab.

Professor Oak seemed to have read her mind, because he nodded and spoke up for her. "Yes, Lyfa has the right idea. If you two want to battle, please do it outside of my lab."

Gary shrugged. "Works for me!" He took out Squirtle's Pokeball, and a beam of red light shoot from the small button, returning the Squirtle back into his Pokeball. While Gary left the laboratory, Lyfa got curious and did the same thing to Blaze, who also reverted back to his Pokeball.

Once both were outside and a little far away from the lab for safety, Gary and Lyfa were distant from each other, ready to send out their Pokemon for battle.

"Go, Squirtle!" yelled Gary, throwing his Pokeball forward. The Pokeball opened, releasing a beam of white, bright light and awakening Squirtle, who was ready for battle.

Following Gary's motion, Lyfa threw her tiny Pokeball in his direction just like Gary did. However, the Pokeball didn't opened; instead, it hit Gary instead!

"Gaah! My forehead!" the spiky-haired teenager cried out, rubbing the red spot on his head after Blaze's Pokeball plompted to the grass. "What were you trying to do, hit me so hard, I'd be the one knocked out?!"

Worried, Lyfa rushed towards Gary with her handkerchief, on her tiptoes as she tried to find any bleeding in his forehead. Scowling, Gary knocked her hand away rather harshly, still upset with the incident.

"I'm fine!" Gary picked up Blaze's minature Pokeball, realizing quickly what the problem was. "You didn't enlarge the Pokeball? You idiot! Look!"

Gary pressed the small button in the middle of the Pokeball, making Blaze's Pokeball bigger as a baseball before handing it to Lyfa, who understood now. In order to send out the Pokemon inside, not only does she has to throw it, but she has to make it larger as well.

Taking some paces back for distance, Lyfa nodded at Gary, showing that she was ready to battle. She threw her now enlarged Pokeball in the air, making Blaze come out and land on the ground.

"Squirtle! Squirt squirt!" _Well, look how it is! _Squirtle seemed all confident, placing his hands on his hips and puffing his chest out.

"Char! Charmander char!" _Ready to die, Squirt-hole? _

"Squirt! Squirt squirt squirtle! Squirt squirtle squirt squirt?" _Hahahahaha! You do realize the type disadvantage you have, right? _

"Char char charmander char." _And I don't think you realize how much of an ass you are, right?_

"Squirtle, Tackle attack!" ordered Gary, making the first move. Squirtle smirked before charging towards Blaze, attacking him head on using his shoulder and knocking the Fire starter back. "Good! Continue using Tackle until I say so!"

Blaze had to keep dodging, or at least blocking with his arms, to keep going on the field as he avoided Squirtle's Tackles. He was waiting for a response from his mistress, only to notice that she was scanning through the Pokedex. Whatever she was doing, she had better hurry it up, or else they were going to lose!

**"Tackle is a move that directly hits an opponent. Growl is a move that lowers a Pokemon's attack power." **

"Blaze, use Growl!" shouted Lyfa, getting an idea over a strategy that just might let her win.

Blaze groaned a little, wanting to attack. Still, he had to trust his mistress, so he opened his mouth and releashed a high, piercing growl that seemed to distort the air. Squirtle covered his ears for a brief moment and slid backwards as a result.

"Man, what a lame sound! Use Tackle!" said Gary, unimpressed.

"Blaze, continue using Growl!"

While Squirtle kept trying to tackle down Blaze, Blaze kept jumping out of the way, constantly using Growl over and over like Lyfa told him to do. Blaze failed to see what the point was, that is, until he finally got hit by a Tackle attack and realized it didn't really hurt much like it had done before.

"Jeez, Green! I thought you were gonna put up more of a fight, but you just keep using and using Growl too much!" complained Gary, grinning since he knew this was going to be his win. "Well, if you're not gonna attack, I will! Squirtle, Tackle!"

Deciding to test something out, Blaze stayed put in his spot and allowed Squirtle to tackle him. This made Blaze roll around the ground a bit, but the pain didn't hurt, even a little!

Noticing Blaze's confident look from Squirtle's previous Tackle, Lyfa knew this was her chance. "Alright, Blaze! Now, use Scratch!"

Widening his eyes a bit, Blaze roared as he ran towards Squirtle and started scratching him by the face. Squirtle cringed in pain and tried to back away, only to be assaulted by more and more scratch attacks.

"Squirtle, counter with Tackle!"

Since he was very close to Blaze, Squirtle placed both paws on the ground, lifted himself up, and kicked Blaze right in the stomach, sending him way back. Before Squirtle could regain his composure, Blaze was quicker, and was ready to continue with minor injuries.

"Blaze, continue with Scratch!"

The small fire lizard Pokemon ran towards Squirtle and continued his barrage of scratch attacks, forcing Squirtle to cover his head with his arms as he tried to endure the pain. Judging by how light his attacks are getting, and the fact that he was being cornered, Squirtle had no doubt that he was losing!

Gritting his teeth, Gary glared at Lyfa, who was smiling and silently cheering on her Pokemon. "Now on the offensive, huh? I figured your plan out! You just wanted to lower my Squirtle's attack power as much as you can, and strike back when it was time! Too bad! I'm not going to lose! Squirtle, defend yourself with your shell!"

Squirtle twisted around, making Blaze meet with his shell as it deflected his claws. Whenever Blaze tried to attack the front of Squirtle, the Water type starter would simply turn around and defend with his hard shell, making it impossible for Blaze to directly attack him.

Gary smirked, seeing how he was going to win this. All he had to do was wait for Blaze to tire himself out, and then instruct Squirtle to finish him off. Plain and simple.

Lyfa bit her lip, frantically trying to search for a good strategy. She did notice that during their fighting, they were making quite a lot of dust in the ground, giving her a clever idea.

"Blaze! Use Scratch on the ground in front of Squirtle!"

"Char?" _What? _Shrugging, Blaze did what Lyfa said, scooping up some sand as he scratched the ground as hard as he could. That action caused some dust and sand to be splattered on Squirtle's face, causing him to cough out and try to rub his eyes.

"SQUIRRRTTTTTLLLLEEEE! SQUIRTTTLE SQUIRTTTLE!" _MY EEEEEYYYEES! THEY BURN! _While Squirtle was rubbing at his eyes, he was running around the battlefield in circles, making Blaze laugh.

"Squirtle! Calm down! Squirtle!" called out Gary. This was bad! If Squirtle couldn't see, then that meant that the Charmander now had the upper hand!

"Now's our chance! Blaze, please keep using Scratch until Squirtle faints!" commanded Lyfa.

Blaze was more than obliged to accept that command as he rushed towards the still-blinded Squirtle. He repeatedly began a fury of Scratches to inflict into Squirtle, over and over. Eventually, Squirtle couldn't take the pain anymore and blacked out.

"What?!" shouted Blue, unable to believe that HIS Squirtle lost to a Pokemon that clearly had a disadvantage.

"Char! Char! Char!" _I won! I won! I won! _Turning around, Blaze ran towards his mistress and jumped into her arms, making her rub his back as his head was on her shoulder. "Charmander! Char char char! Charmander!" _We won! I guess you're not too bad for a mistress! I already like you! _

Though she couldn't understand what Blaze was saying, Lyfa assumed that he was happy. "...You did good, Blaze. Get some rest, okay?" She looked at him with a smile before putting him back into his Pokeball.

After Gary returned Squirtle back to his Pokeball, the young Trainer looked a bit upset. His expression changed to a determined one, and then he pointed a finger at Lyfa, who flinched a little at his sudden action.

"Green! I'm gonna train my Squirtle, and when he's strong enough, I'm coming back to challenge you again! Got that? And I'm gonna tell my big sister not to give YOU a Town Map! Haha, smell ya later, loser!"

As Gary was running far away from Lyfa, he still has his casual, confident smirk on his face as he thought, _'Yeah, there's no way Daisy is gonna give her a map! I mean, I trust her! What could go wrong?' _

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"Here you go, Lyfa. An extra Town Map."

About half an hour after Gary entered the house to go gather his stuff and head out on his Pokemon journey, Daisy allowed Lyfa in and handed her a Town Map for a few reasons.

One: She and Lyfa were good friends, even if they weren't too close. Plus, Daisy found that Lyfa was WAY more politer and nicer than Gray, just like her!

Two: Lyfa needed a Town Map for her journey, or she'd be lost!

Three: Daisy used to go on a Pokemon journey, and she had two Town Maps, so naturally, she gave them to Gary and Lyfa each.

Finally, Four: Daisy just wanted to see the look on Gary's face when he finds out that she handed Lyfa a Town Map when he specifically told her not to. It would be something to remember.

"Thank you for the Town Map, Daisy," thanked Lyfa, bowing her head in respect. Her Grandma always did tell her to bow to others whenever they did something good and such.

"Oh, stop it! It was nothing, really!" Placing a hand on her young friend, Daisy assured her, "And quit with the bowing thing! I know your Grandma told you to do that to people who did nice things, but you don't really have to do that to me!"

"..." Lyfa silently nodded as usual. Daisy sighed and pulled away, placing her hands on her hips. Lyfa was definitely never going to change. Well, she did kinda like her this way anyways.

"By the way, Lyfa? Did you say goodbye to your Grandma yet?"

Lyfa shook her head. "No, Grandma wanted me to stay one more night so we could spend some quality time together before I leave. She enjoys Blaze's company too."

"Blaze?"

"My Charmander. I named him." Taking out Blaze's Pokeball, Lyfa opened it, revealing to be a sleepy-looking Charmander. Blaze was just taking a nap when he was suddenly called back, making him wide awake.

"Ooh! He's so cute!" squealed Daisy, bending down and squeezing him by the cheeks.

"Char?! CHAR CHAR CHAR CHARMANDER CHAR!" _What?! HELP HELP HELP GET THIS CRAZY LADY OFF ME! OW! _Blaze was thrashing his arms around, trying to get away from the cheek-pinching lady before his cheeks were permanently hurt.

Glancing at her watch, Lyfa realized what time it was. "Daisy? I'm sorry, I have an errand to run, so I need Blaze back, please."

"Oh, okay." The moment Daisy let go of Blaze's now puffy cheeks, he ran behind Lyfa's leg, staying away from the cheek-pinching lady.

"Char char charmander! Char char charmander char char!" _Oh thank Arceus it's over! You seriously have no idea how much my cheeks hurt! _

Putting Blaze back to his Pokeball, Lyfa said, "I'm going now. Bye, Daisy."

After exiting Gary's home, Lyfa looked high at the sky, which had the color of the sea. She knew that today was the day when she received Blaze, but tommorow, was the start of her journey!

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**Whew! Finished at last! Hope you enjoyed this because I did! I tried to make it as humorous as possible, so yeah. Read and review!**


	3. Birds of a Feather

**Sorry for the long wait! Here's a new chapter from yours truly!**

**Disclaimer: Mage of Hope doesn't own Pokemon series, only the OCs. Also, Pokemon is owned by the Pokemon Company. **

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"Char! Charmander char char CHAR!" _Help! Someone help me get away from the crazy LADY! _

Right now, Blaze was being chased all over by Daisy, who wanted to pinch his cheeks again just like she did yesterday. If there were two things Blaze hated, it was being cute, and Squirtle. Being cute did have its advantages, but a lot more disadvantages for Blaze, because people couldn't exactly take him seriously in his current form! He's give ANYTHING to become one of those cool, powerful Charizards he's heard about.

Where was Lyfa right now? Oh, well apparently, she wasn't finished packing up the rest of her supplies, so she had to invite Daisy, of all humans, to watch over him! Grandma was too busy assisting her granddaughter, so naturally, the task came to Daisy! Although Gary wouldn't be his first choice, Blaze would rather have him watching over him than the cheek-pinching human!

Opening the door, Lyfa stepped out, carrying a heavily loaded backpack on her back with an blank look on her face. Blaze's jaw dropped to the ground at the size of the backpack. How was it that Lyfa wasn't complaining or that her back wasn't broken yet at the weight of her backpack?

Apparently, Lyfa seemed to be holding her true emotions in, because sweat was dripping down her neck and forehead from carrying the heavy weighted backpack. Plus, the slow movements indicated more evidence that Lyfa was struggling to carry the backpack, even if her facial expression didn't show it.

"Char! Char char char char char!" _Mistress! That's way too heavy, even for you! _Blaze watched as Daisy tried to help Lyfa sit down on the grass and attempted to remove the backpack from Lyfa. In the meantime, Lyfa's Grandma came out of the house, smelling the fresh air.

"Mrs. Green! I doubt that Lyfa needs all this junk!" scolded Daisy lightly as she took out a large amount of clothing from Lyfa's bag. Not only did she discover unnecessary clothing such as Grandma's socks, but also books on survival and a couple of junk food as well. "Why are your...your undergarments here anyways, Mrs. Green?"

Grandma, rubbing her forehead, frowned. "Oh...I just thought poor Lyfa could use them. My socks and underwear will provide good warmth, no? All she has to do is put them over her body and she'll be fine!"

_'No. There's not a single person I know who does that,' _Lyfa, Daisy, and Blaze thought, staring at Grandma. Guess old aging really does affect the human mind, making them much more simple-minded than one thinks.

After a while, Daisy helped Lyfa organized the things in her backpack before handing it back to the new trainer. "Here you go, Lyfa! Most of the stuff inside had already been taken out, but there are clothes, a small medical kit, food, and other supplies in here. I'm sure you'll last for a while."

Blaze sweatdropped at the large amount of stuff taken out, all formed up in one big pile. "Char. Char charmander char char." _Wow. That is a lot of stuff. _

_'Oh! I almost forgot!' _thought Lyfa, taking out a red bandanna from her pocket. She wrapped it around Blaze's neck; the bandanna acting as a sort of scarf. "Here, Blaze. I made it for you. I hope you like it."

"Awwww! That makes him look much cuter! I just want to PINCH his cheeks even more!" squealed Daisy, snipping her fingers together like crabs.

"Char char!" _No thanks! _Blaze hid behind Lyfa's legs, using her as a human shield. Still, the gift sure was nice. Not only did it match him and his fiery personality, but it was also his favorite color, and it was...so warm and soft like clouds. The scarf would hardly get in the way in battle, plus...it made him feel more loved, considering it was a gift from his Trainer.

Grandma looked at her granddaughter and smiled. "I hope you take good care of you and your Pokemon, Lyfa."

Lyfa nodded and bowed her head towards Daisy and Grandma. "Thank you. Goodbye." She pointed her Pokeball at Charmander, ushering him to return to his place inside, which he happily complied.

"Bye-bye, Lyfa! Take care!" called out Grandma. "Watch out for strangers! Be safe! Kick anyone between the legs!"

Daisy stared at Grandma in shock. "Why would you give advice like that?!"

Grandma shrugged her shoulders. "It's what I did when I was a young lass. Did you know I used to be a Battle Girl?"

"Seriously?!"

* * *

_'Okay, so I have to remember all I need to know about how to catch and tame a Pokemon,' _thought Lyfa, looking a bit dirtied and dusty as she faced against a Spearow. The Spearow was gleaming at her, eyeing her as it prepared itself for assault and waited for her to make the first move.

Ever since she left Pallet Town, she's been encountering wild Pokemon left from right, and had been summoning Blaze to do her fights for her. The good thing was that he was a capable fighter, and loved the desire for battle. Unfortunately, the Pokemon he battled had ran away before Lyfa could get the chance to catch them.

Lyfa threw Blaze's Pokeball up in the air, causing the Charmander to reappear into the field, battle-ready. Spearow braced itself as it spreaded its wings, ready to take flight and dodge any attack.

Every time she encountered a different Pokemon, Lyfa would use the Pokedex to collect any data. Since Spearow is a new Pokemon she's never seen, she opened up the Pokemon, listening to every word the Pokedex had to say.

**"Spearow, the Tiny Bird Pokemon. A Normal/Flying type that can flap its wings at high speeds to stay airborne." **

_'Oh! According to this one, it's a female! Maybe I can catch it!' _Lyfa thought, standing back. "Blaze, please be careful and try not to go overboard. I want to catch this Spearow please."

"Charmander char char!" _That I can do! _Blaze grinned maliciously, cracking his paws as the flame on his tail burned almost as bright as the sun, indicating how exciting he really was.

"Spear! Spear spearow spear spearow! Spearow spear spear spear spearow spear spearow!" _Ha! I'm the strongest around the area here! There's no way a little lizard like you is gonna beat me! _Spearow taunted, flapping her wings and glancing down at the Charmander.

"Char! Charmander char char char charmander!" _Ha! I'd like to take that challenge! _Blaze wasn't one to back down from a fight, especially with him being all hot-headed and feisty.

"Blaze! Get ready to-" Before Lyfa could finish her command, Blaze was far ahead of her, jumping up and down and trying to claw at Spearow with everything he got. However, all Spearow had to do was fly a little higher, and all Blaze would be slashing at would be the air.

"Spearow spearow spearow spear!" _Hahaha! You can't reach me! _

"Charmander char char char?!" _You wanna bet?! _

Lyfa sighed; knowing that Blaze was disobeying her orders yet again. "Blaze! Calm down! Use Growl!"

"Charmander char! Char char charmander char!"_ That's right! Her attacks won't be very effective if I keep using Growl! _Nodding, Blaze stopped his hopeless assault on Spearow and cried out a high-pitched shriek, causing Spearow to back away a little and winch.

"Spearow! Spearow spearow spear spear!" _Ow! I'll show you a true Growl!" _Raising her head, she released a much louder scream, squawking in the process. Her Growl was so strong, it made not only Lyfa and Blaze to cover their ears, but the other Pokemon in the area as well.

"Stay strong, Blaze!" shouted Lyfa, trying to encourage the tough Charmander. Her voice could be barely heard through the loud shriek coursing throughout the area. The sand strategy that worked on Squirtle before wasn't going to be effective on Spearow as long as she was airborne, so she needed to find a way to get the Flying-type down.

Suddenly, Spearow flew downwards, and as swiftly as the wind, she pecked Blaze once with her beak, then soared up into the skies. She went down again and did the same motion, using the same tactic over and over.

**"Peck. A move that inflicts damage and is commonly used by Flying-types," **explained the Pokedex automatically. **"Spearow normally uses its beak to seek out prey in the grass." **

"Spearow spearow spearow spear, spear spear spear spearow!" _With my elegant speed and sharp moves, you'll never be able to defeat me! _bragged Spearow, twirling around in the air.

"Charmander char char charmander char char char!" _Come down here and face me like a true Pokemon! _shouted Blaze, raising a fist.

Lyfa slowly lowered down her arms after the Growl move Spearow had used stopped. She was wondering what Blaze should use in order to take down Spearow. Perhaps...that could work...

"Blaze! I have an idea!" shouted Lyfa, trying to get his attention.

"Char! Charmander char char!" _Wait! I just got a good idea! _

Blaze rushed towards a flat rock, using it as a catapult to reach Spearow with a tackle, Although it wasn't exactly perfect, Blaze was trying to imitate the Tackle move Squirtle used before on him. He lacked the brute force behind the Tackle power, but at least he was trying a normal tackle at least.

Spearow scoffed lightly and flew out of the way, watching Blaze hit his face on the ground when he missed. "Spear! Spear spearow spearow spear spear! Spear spear spearow spearow spear!" _Please! That's not the first time anyone's tried that on me! You're going to have to do better than that! _

"Char char...charmander CHAR!" _That's it...I've had ENOUGH! _Frustrated at his failed antics, Blaze unknowingly opened his mouth, firing small fireballs which surprised everyone. In addition, the fireballs managed to hit the stunned Spearow, who squawked in pain and kept crashing down to the ground.

Lyfa turned to her Pokedex for help, which it automatically answered her question. **"Ember. A Fire-type move that shoots out small flames and has a small chance of burning a Pokemon." **

"Charmander! Charmander char char! Char charmander char!" _Alright! I learned a new move! And on the nick of time too! _Blaze was cheering to himself, being a bit too overconfident of learning a new useful power. Just another step for him to becoming stronger!

Meanwhile, Spearow still had some fight left in her, as she struggled to stand up, although her body was glowing red, indicating she had the burn effect. "Spearow...! Spear spearow spearow spear!" _Damnit...! I'm not giving up! _

"Now's our chance, Blaze! Quick, use the move Scratch with everything you've got!" ordered Lyfa, speaking the order as quickly as possible.

Sharpening his claws, Blaze charged towards Spearow before slashing at her body with everything he had. The last attack was more than enough to knock out Spearow because Spearow was already losing consciousness, Blaze critically hit Spearow with a much more stronger Scratch than ever, Spearow was already burned, and Spearow was too slow and injured to dodge.

Seeing her chance, Lyfa threw an empty, new Pokeball at Spearow; the device opening up and swallowing up the Flying-type with a red light. Blaze and Lyfa watched as the Pokeball was rolling around and shaking as Spearow tried to escape. However, all movements of the Pokeball stopped, and ended with a ping noise, indicating that the capture was a sucess.

Lyfa sighed in relief, placing a hand on her chest as she walked over to retrieve the Pokeball. Blaze was cheering to himself for a successful battle victory and showing off his muscles, practically bragging to himself that he won.

Oh wait...

Blaze's eyes widen with realization. That meant that the annoying Spearow was now his new companion!

"Chaaaaaaaaaaarrrrrrrrrrrrrr-"

* * *

_Meanwhile, with Gary... _

Distracted with his Town Map, Gary was around Route 2, training his Squirtle. He wasn't going any further into Viridian Forest today, since he wanted his Squirtle to be prepared to the vicious Bug-type Pokemon in the forest later on.

Squirtle was facing a tree with a big red mark on it; a mark Gary imprinted on as target practice. The Water-type was standing by, waiting for his owner for further instructions. After the humiliating defeat he suffered from Blaze, he was more than pumped up to teach him a lesson in their next battle!

"Alright, Squirtle! Use-"

"Chaaaaaaaaaarrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr..."

Surprised, Squirtle and Gary stopped their activity and were at ease. _'What was that weird sound?' _both thought, glancing at one another, confused. Shrugging, they decided to continue with their training, quickly forgetting about their little distraction.

* * *

"Charrrrr..." _Grrrr..._

"Spearrrrr..." _Hmmm... _

Both Pokemon glared at each other as Lyfa was spraying a Potion on Spearow's wounds. It's only been a few hours since they've become companions, and yet, they still won't acknowledge one another. Blaze because he almost lost to someone smaller than him, and Spearow because she actually lost to a hothead.

"I'm sorry for hurting you," spoke Lyfa softly at Spearow, benting down at her and taking out a pink silk scarf. "Here. This is for you. Um...welcome to the team."

Spearow looked up at her, then turned to the scarf. It did look soft and pretty in her opinion, so she allowed Lyfa to tie it around her neck. Stepping up to a small pond nearby, Sparrow looked at her own reflection, loving the new look on herself.

"Spear spear spearow!" _I look good! _Spearow was checking herself out, admiring her looks and posing a little.

Blaze scoffed. "Charmander char char char." _You only like your scarf, that's all. _

But Spearow was too distracted with her looks to even consider arguing with Blaze. Lyfa was happy that Spearow was checking herself out, meaning that her new Pokemon loved the scarf she gave to her.

"Spearow? Would you like a nickname?" asked Lyfa kindly. It didn't take long for Spearow to agree and nod her head. "How about...Javelin? It's another name for a spear, but it can be also used in the air. It's okay if you don't want a new name."

_'Hmm...unique and creative...I like it! Plus, it's the name of a weapon!' _pondered on Spearow before she agreed, taking on the name of Javelin.

Blaze frowned and crossed his arms. _'Pfft. I have a way better name anyways.' _

Lyfa smiled and asked, "How about we go to the Pokemon Center? We'll start training again tommorow."

That topic, Javelin and Blaze could agree on. After all, both of them were exhausted from overusing their moves on other wild Pokemon for training, plus they had a sparring match themselves. In addition, Lyfa needed to buy more items since she just used the last Potion on Javelin. Luckily, there were a few Trainers here who gave her some money after she defeated them, so she could buy a couple more supplies to add to her kit.

Putting her Pokemon back in their Pokeballs, Lyfa spotted the sign that gave directions towards Viridian City. It wasn't too far, plus she had heard all about the Viridian Gym, so maybe she should try her luck there tommorow or so. Whatever the case, this was just the beginning of her journey...

* * *

**Finished here! If you guys got any ideas for this story, like Pokemon interaction or any Lyfa x Gary ideas, feel free to tell me!**


	4. Two Heads Are Better Than One!

**Sorry if last chapter was too short. I promise this chapter will be a little bit longer.**

**Disclaimer: Mage of Hope doesn't own Pokemon, only the OCs. Pokemon is owned by the Pokemon Company. **

* * *

"I absolutely forbid you from going through here! This is private property!"

"...What?"

Lyfa was just strolling around Viridian City, taking in the sights of the wonderful city when an old man laying on the ground stopped her, yelling some nonsense.

There was a young frail woman kneeling near the old man, sighing. "Oh, Grandpa! Don't be mean!" She looked at Lyfa apologetically. "I'm so sorry. He hasn't had his coffee yet."

The young inexperienced trainer nodded, somewhat understanding. Well, her Grandma was never as cranky as this old man, but as people grow old, they do tend to lost their minds sometimes.

"That's right! I forbid anyone to-Hey! HEY! Where are you going, young lady? Don't ignore me! I said this is private property!"

Lyfa did the most logical solution anyone could come up with: Walk past the old man.

With the two Pokemon she had, Lyfa was sure to take on the Gym Leader at the Viridian Gym. She always wanted to take on a Gym Leader, hoping that she'd get her first Gym Badge.

Arriving in front of the Gym, Lyfa saw that the Gym looked like any other original tall structual building. The only way this was the Gym was due to the sign nearby, which read: **Viridian City Gym. **

Curious, Lyfa tried pulling on the doors, only to find them locked. She saw a different old man in blue robes, staring at the Gym. Thinking he might know something, she walked up to him, tapping his shoulder. "Excuse me, mister? Can you tell me what's going on in the Gym?"

The old man sighed, shaking his head in disbelief. "Unfortunately, I can't. The Gym is always closed. I wonder who the Gym Leader is?"

"Oh, okay. Thank you." Bowing her head, Lyfa then walked away to explore the rest of the city.

"Wait!" Lyfa stopped, hearing the old man calling out for her. "If you want to get stronger, there is a place I can recommend. West from here is a place called the Pokemon League. I can tell you're a beginner Trainer, so I can assure you that the Trainers there are several times much more stronger than you at your current state. But if you trained with some Pokemon, maybe you could stand a chance."

Lyfa nodded. "Thank you mister."

Following the old man's directions, and ignoring the coffee-addicted old man yelling after her, Lyfa traveled down a brick road, constantly passing through some tall grass and using her Town Map to locate where she was.

"Hey! Green!"

Hearing a rather familiar voice, Lyfa looked up, seeing Gary running towards her. She stopped and moved out of the way as Gary zoomed past her, using the soles of his shoes to screech to a stop.

Once the dust cleared, Gary stood up straight, showing his infamous trademark smirk at her which usually affects all girls. All girls except Lyfa. He never did understood why his charms never worked on his rival, not that he cared, of course.

Lyfa blinked, then bowed her head. "Good morning, Gary."

Gary glanced at his watch on his wrist. "Oh...almost 11. Yeah, I guess it's still morning-Hey! Where'd you get a Town Map?"

Noticing he changed subjects, Lyfa remembered she still had the Town Map in her hands. "...Daisy gave it to me."

The spiky-haired teen groaned, facepalming. "Damnit, Daisy! I told her not to give you a Town Map! Next time I get back home, I am so confronting her about this!"

"..."

Gary noticed Lyfa was still here, hearing him rant. "Oh!" He snapped his fingers, grinning. "You're off to the Pokemon League, aren't ya?"

"..." Lyfa only had to nod her head.

"Well, forget it! The Pokemon League only allows Trainers with Badges in! The guard won't let you in without them! Ha! I'll be the first to obtain a Badge before you, though!"

"..." Once again, Lyfa nodded, acknowledging the fact that Gary had the potential to obtain the Badges like she was.

Gary frowned, noticing her silence and how easily she was going along with him! For some reason, this infuriated him, but not too much in a bad way. Speaking of...

"Hey!" Gary shoved his Pokeball at Lyfa. "I didn't expect you to be here so quick. I thought you would have taken a bit longer. You've gotten at least a little stronger since last we fought, right? Well, I have, and I've got a new Pokemon to boot! So, wanna battle?"

Lyfa felt her bag moving like crazy, so she shoved her hand inside and pulled out what the cause was, which happened to be Blaze's Pokeball. Judging by how shaky the Pokeball was, Blaze seemed to want to come out. Lyfa looked at Gary and nodded, accepting his challenge.

"Good!" Gary backed away for some distance, taking out a Pokeball. "You better press the button before throwing the Pokeball this time, Green! It's payback time for hitting me like that! Go!"

After being thrown out of the Pokeball, a Pidgey spreaded its wings, crowing before landing. Like its owner, Gary, it was determined, but fierce-looking with sharp dark brown eyes that seemed like they can slice through anything.

**"Pidgey, the Tiny Bird Pokemon. A Normal/Flying Type that's usually docile and avoids conflict. However, if disturbed, it will strike back without mercy. Current gender: Male." **

Putting away the Pokedex, Lyfa figured that since her Javelin was also the same dual-type as Pidgey, it would also be good experience for her in her first Trainer battle. She placed Blaze's Pokeball back inside her bag before taking out Javelin's Pokeball and throwing it to the air.

Springing into action, Javelin flew into the air, spiraling around a little to freshen her wings before landing down on the ground. "Spear! Spearow spear spearow spear spear spear!" _Aaah! Finally, I get to spread my lovely wings at last! _

"Oh! So, you caught a Flying-type too, huh?" said Gary, raising an eyebrow. "Sweet! Can't wait to see which one's the best! Pidgey, attack with Gust! ...Pidgey?"

However, Pidgey was too distracted to even notice his owner's words. Right now, he was too infatuated with Javelin, as evident from his heart-like eyes. The moment he laid eyes on her, his heart started pounding, and he could barely breath.

In his mind, Javelin was like a goddess to him, with that perfect body, and her lovely voice. Her body size was small, but it was the cute sort of small for him. The way she spreaded her wings was like an angel awakening from a sleep; her feathers almost like angel wings' feathers. Her eyes simply pierced through his soul and took away his breath, while her pink scarf matched her body colors; the wings, feathers, everything! Lastly, her luscious scent filled his mind, drowning him in a mist of her scent.

Gary snapped his fingers repeatedly at Pidgey, trying to get his attention. What was wrong with him? Was he sleep-walking? Granted, he did force both his Pokemon to stay up late last night for some extra training, so that might be it.

Suddenly, Pidgey zoomed towards some rose bushes, buried within the bushes. In less than a few seconds later, he popped out, flying towards Javelin with a rose in his beak.

Gary's jaw dropped while Lyfa blinked, confused. Both Trainers watched as Pidgey laid the rose in front of Javelin, a mischevious look in his eyes as he tried to look as handsome as possible.

"W-WHAT?!" Gary frantically shook his head, still gaping. "Pidgey! You can't just fall for the enemy! No way! I forbid it!"

"Pid! Pidgey pid pidg pidgey!" _Hello! I'm just your average every day Pidgey! _Pidgey excitedly tried to flirt with Javelin, who picked up the rose in her mouth. He thought she looked more beautiful with the rose on.

"Spearow spear spear spear? Spearow spear?" _Who are you? Don't you have a name? _

"Pid...Pidgey pidgey pidg pidg pidgey." _No...My master never bothered to give me one, but I'm fine. _

"Spear! Spearow spear spear spearow!" _Hmph! I cannot accept a Flying-type fellow who's nameless! _Pidgey glanced away, huffing rudely.

"Pidgey! Pidgey pidgey pidg pidg!" _What! Come on, I can prove myself to you! _Pidgey seemed distaught by what Javelin said, begging to be proven. "Pidgey pidgey pidg! Pidgey pidgey pidgey pidg!" _Look at our masters! They're getting along nicely! _

Unfortunately, Gary was yelling at Lyfa while she was calmly talking back.

"Green! Do something about your Spearow!"

"Her name is Javelin."

"Do something about Javelin, then!"

"But...she didn't do anything."

"Like hell! Then, why did my Pidgey suddenly went gaga over your Sparrow?!"

"Her name is Jave-"

"I DON'T CARE!"

"Spearow! Spear spear spearow spearow!" _Your name is Javelin? Your name sounds as lovely as that rose! _complimented Pidgey, bowing his head towards Javelin.

Before Javelin could say anything, Lyfa walked up to Javelin, holding her Pokeball. "Javelin, I'm sorry, but will you sit this battle out?"

Lyfa and Gary had come to an agreement for once in their lives while Spearow had been constantly flirting and complimenting with Javelin using his wits. Lyfa agreed to switch her Pokemon with her other one so long as Gary allowed her the first move.

"Spearow. Spearow spear spear spear." _Okay. I trust your judgement, Lyfa. _Besides, Javelin wanted to get away from the verbose Pidgey. This wasn't the first time any Pokemon's flirted with her, considering she was the most strongest and beautiful back in her area. Although, she did enjoy the continuous treatment, even though it did tend to get annoying.

A red harmless beam hit Javelin, transfering her back into her Pokeball. Like shattered glass, Pidgey was left dumbfounded and heartbroken, his beak dropping to the ground as his eyes widen.

"PIDDDDDGGGGEEEEYYYYY!" _NOOOOOOOOOO! _Pidgey squawked out, throwing his head back. Now he might never get the chance to speak to his beautiful Javelin again!

Gary stared at Pidgey, not sure whether to pity him or comfort him. "...This is just sad."

Lyfa felt sorry for the Pidgey, but thought boys were boys, and they might like battles. Therefore, she threw Blaze's Pokeball in the air, causing Blaze to come out, all battle-ready.

"Char! Charmander char char?" _Finally! What took you so long? _Blaze glared at Lyfa, waiting for an explanation. However, since humans can't understand Pokemon, Lyfa was only left clueless.

Looking up, Pidgey hoped to see Javelin, only to find she was replaced with a measly, stupid-looking Charmander. He was left annoyed and a bit angry.

"Pidgey! Pidgey pidgey pidg pidg!" _You! What did you do to my lovely, sweet Javelin! _

Blaze saw Pidgey, cracking his hands together. "Charman! Charmander charm char char charmander!" _Finally! I get to beat up another Pokemon! _

"Pidgey pidg pidg! Pidg pidgey pid pidgey pidg!" _I don't care about that! I want to know where my sweet, innocent Javelin is! _

"Char?! Charmander char char char charmander char char! Charmander charmander charm charm?" _Innocent?! The day she's like that is the day the world ends! Why would you care for Spearhead? _

"Pidgey! Pidgey pidgey pidg pidg pidg! Pidg pidg pidgey pidg pidgey!" _Gasp! How dare you say that about her! That's it, we fight now! _

Blaze knew he couldn't agree more, getting into a fighting stance as Pidgey flew in the air. "Charmander char char! Charmander char char char charm charmander!" _Fine by me! Wasn't planning to back off anyways! _

Noticing the tension between the two, Gary smirked. "Oh! Looks like things are getting tensed now! You ready, Green?"

Lyfa nodded, readying herself to command Blaze. Blaze stood by, prepared to take down the Flying-type at any cost. Besides, he couldn't bare seeing his ugly beak. "Growl, Blaze!"

Without hesitation, Blaze ululated outloud, causing Pidgey to screech in response. Pidgey shook his head, trying to get the ringing out of his ears before looking sharp like his eyes.

"Trying to lower high attack power, huh? You'll have to do better than that to take down my Pidgey!" shouted Gary, acting confident. "Pidgey! Gust!"

Flapping his wings rapidly, Pidgey surrounded Blaze with small gusts of winds which slowly, but increasingly grew in size, power, and area. Blaze tried to stand his ground, closing his eyes as he was trying not to get blown away.

_'I can't use Tackle right now in this sort of situation!' _thought Lyfa, trying to make a quick strategy. _'Growl won't help much either, but...' _

"Blaze, fly with the wind!"

Blaze turned to Lyfa, as if saying, "Are you nuts?!" However, he knew his mistress had some sort of plan up her sleeve, so he agreed...with a bit of hesitation, naturally.

Gary didn't seem to get what Lyfa was thinking. "Wow, throwing in the towel already? We just barely started! Pidgey, continue using Gust!"

Pidgey trilled, happy to oblige before thrashing his wings much faster than before, creating more gusts of wind. Those gusts of winds were almost powerful enough to create a huge tornado if they kept at it.

Blaze was clinging onto a rock, thinking it wasn't time to let go just yet. He saw sand getting caught in the winds, so he snatched a handful in his paw, thus letting go of the rock. He screamed as he was thrown right into the winds, being pummeled by the winds while in mid-air.

Suddenly, Blaze found himself high up in the air, not falling to his death, but being kept up due to the strong winds. He still had sand hidden in his paw, ready for some good use just in case.

"Alright, Pidgey! You can stop now!" called Gary. "After all, **falling is another way to fly**."

Agreeing with that statement, Pidgey stopped casting several other gusts before swooping down to the ground elegantly. He gleamed, ruffling his own feathers. With the height Blaze was at, no one could survive a fall like that!

Lyfa folded her hands in a prayer position, silently praying for her Pokemon's safety. _'Please...Blaze, please be safe...!' _she thought frantically. "Blaze! Please use Ember!"

"Charmander!" _Finally! _Without hesitation, the entire battlefield bursted into a land of fire from the huge amount of fire coming from Blaze as he was falling facedown. The fire shooting from his mouth managed to slow down his falling a little, enough for him to survive the ordeal at least.

Pidgey cried out, trying to shake the flames off his feathers as he scrambled for escape. He scrambled around, trying to get away from the hot pits of fire by flying up in the air. With the walls of fire, Pidgey couldn't see his opponent!

"Pidgey! Use Gust and blow away the fires!" ordered Gary, blocking his face with his arms to avoid getting caught in the fire. Pidgey swiftly flapped his wings over and over, trying to go as fast as he could. With the strong winds he was creating, and the fact that the entire battlefield was just sand and ground, it didn't take too long for the fires to die out.

However, Blaze was nowhere to be seen; only Lyfa was left fully unharmed.

"What?!" Gary and his Pidgey glanced around, trying to pinpoint Blaze's location. "Where'd that little Charmander go?"

Lyfa knew exactly where Blaze was; behind a huge rock that served as a sort of small cavern, the perfect hiding spot. Not only did it hide Blaze from even Pidgey, but he was also very close to the Pidgey.

"Blaze! Now's your chance! Please, use Scratch!" shouted Lyfa loudly.

"What?!" Gary looked at Lyfa, confused. He thought, _'Where is it? How can she see her own Pokemon when we can't?'_

His thoughts were quickly answered when Blaze slid out of the rock he was hiding. He leaped on top of the rock and used the surface of the solid rock to launch towards Pidgey. Pidgey was way off-guard and his wings got slashed, some of his feathers sliced and scattered throughout the winds before he and Blaze crashed to the ground. Luckily they weren't far off the ground, but they were still injured.

"Pidgey pidg..." _My feathers... _

Seeing that Blaze finally managed to deliver a blow, Lyfa decided to cheer him on a little. "Good job, Blaze! Just last a little bit longer, please!"

Gary gritted his teeth, knowing how exhausted his Flying-type Pokemon really was. Despite having great speed and strength, Pidgey did lack defense and stamina. "Pidgey! Get up! Hurry! Don't let some loser beat you!"

Blaze groaned, being the first to stand up while Pidgey was struggling to stand up on his two feet. He had some sand left in his paw, so he threw some at Pidgey's eyes, making him squawk and run around like a chicken whose head was sliced off.

"Pidgey! Hang in there!" yelled Gary, getting more agitated.

Lyfa blinked. Okay, she wasn't expecting Blaze to use his own version of Sand-Attack, but this works too. It not only made Pidgey vulnerable, but he was also too blind to see.

"Blaze! Finish Pidgey off with one last Ember!"

"Char!" _Okay! _Blaze took a deep breath, then released a burst of fire at Pidgey, hitting him on his side. Pidgey cried out and fell down, too fatigued to continue.

"Pidgey...pidg pidg pidgey pidg pid...pidgey pidg pidg..." _Ow...my beautiful body...It'll take forever to ruffle my feathers... _Pidgey had muttered out before fainting, heavily injured.

Blaze didn't escape the battle without any injuries as well. Despite his narcissistic attitude, Pidgey was quite strong on his own, avoiding blows and attacking from close and far range. Truly, he was skilled in aerial combat!

"Pidgey, return!" Gary scowled, a bit upset how he lost the first round. Well, at least his next Pokemon has the type advantage. "Go, Squirtle!"

The little blue turtle-like Pokemon quickly jumped out of his Pokeball the moment the capsule ball opened. He really wanted to even the odds out with Blaze, especially due to his last humiliating match.

"Squirtle! Squirt squirt squirt! Squirtle squirtle squirt squirt!" _So! We meet again! I'm not going to lose this time! _

Blaze's legs were wobbling a little, his vision a bit hazy. Despite his tired state, he was extremely good at hiding his fatigue. Still, no way was he gonna lose to a Water-type, especially if the one in question was Squirtle!

"Char char!" _Bring it! _

"Now! Use Bubble!" ordered Gary.

Squirtle complied by shooting clear bubbles from his mouth. Despite supposedly being slow, the bubbles were actually fast, quickly overwhelming Blaze with the barrage of endless bubbles.

"Char-Char-Char-CHAR! Charmander char char!" _Gah-ach-bleh-ACK! I thought bubbles were supposed to be harmless! _Blaze shook his head, wiping away some of the bubbles left remaining on his head.

"Oh? Looks like your Charmander's all weaken, especially from that last fight!" said Gary, grinning. If he kept this up, he'd beat Lyfa's Charmander and Spearow in no time!

"Blaze! Stay clear, and use Growl!" ordered Lyfa on the defensive.

_'Again?!...Wait, I've got an idea!' _thought Blaze, rushing towards Squirtle like a madman. He screeched as loudly as he possibly could as he grew closer and closer to Blaze, his claws sharpened for a close attack.

"No! Blaze, get away! Hurry!" Lyfa didn't understand why Blaze was clearly ignoring her orders when she specifically commanded them out loud.

"How stupid! Use Bubble!" shouted Gary. This was actually going to be easier than he thought! A reckless Charmander against an obedient Squirtle! It was obvious who was going to win!

Squirtle tried to ignore Blaze's loud irritating shriek by blasting out a volley of bubbles in order to silence Blaze. Blaze stopped and counterattacked with his Ember attack, only for it to quickly extinguish. The Charmander braced himself before he was knocked back by the bubble blast.

"Blaze!" Lyfa looked at her Pokemon, concerned for his health. "Are you alright?"

Though he could just roll over and surrender, Blaze was not the sort of Pokemon to do that. In fact, he wobbled around, managing to get up, but his mind felt like it was stuffed with cotton. Not learning his previous lesson, Blaze charged right in again.

"Blaze, no!"

"Again? Man, Green! He's quite the stubborn one!" chuckled Gary. "Squirtle! Show no mercy! Bubble!"

"Squirtle squirt squirtle!" _Say your prayers, Blaze! _Squirtle gulped down some breath before blowing out more bubbles. Since he was sorta merciful, he didn't add much power into those bubbles, seeing how Blaze might fall over with just one.

Mustering up all his strength, Blaze used his speed to bypass the bubbles, dodging them as he made his way closer to Squirtle. However, Squirtle wasn't foolish and squirted out more bubbles, invading Blaze's entire body with bubbles as he was practically drowning in them.

Once the bubbles all popped, all that was left was Blaze's fainted form, him groaning and getting dizzy.

"Well, looks like I win this round!" Gary seemed alright while Lyfa rushed towards her Charmander.

"Char...charmander char char..." _Damn...I lost to Squirtle... _Then, Blaze fell unconscious and started muttering things in his sleep. Not that anyone could understand him since he was so quiet, and he was speaking Pokemon language.

Lyfa hugged Blaze close to her before taking his Pokeball out. "Okay...you did a good job, so sleep please..." Watching him disappear inside his Pokeball, Lyfa threw out her next and last Pokemon; Javelin.

Javelin took one quick look at Squirtle before letting out a 'hmph' sound. "Spearow spearow spear? Spearow! Spearow spear spear spearow spearow!" _I have to fight this incompetent fool? Please! I'd rather examine myself in a mirror than fight him! _

Squirtle's eye twitch. "Squirtle, squirtle. Squirtle squirtle squirt squirtle. Squirtle squirt squirt. Squirtle squirtle squirt squirt." _Oh, I see. You're one of those self-righteous people who judges people by appearance. Yeah, I can respect that sorta. Doesn't mean I'm going to hold back, though. _

"Now, Squirtle! Use Bubble!"

"Javelin, quick! Fly up!"

The moment Squirtle unleashed a swarm of bubbles, Javelin reacted by swiftly soaring in the skies, not wanting her alluring wings to become drenched. Javelin huffed in annoyance, looking down at the Tiny Turtle Pokemon.

Gary knew that Javelin was just as fast as his Pidgey, as evident from her swiftness from dodging the Bubble blow. He knew Bubble wouldn't do good against Javelin; at least, not now. For now, he had to focus on getting that Spearow down from the air.

"Javelin! Use Peck!" ordered Lyfa.

Javelin trilled, preparing to launch before swooping down, hitting Squirtle in the forehead and knocking him on his shell while she flew into the air again. Squirtle groaned, quickly standing up as he rubbed his bruised forehead.

"Squirt! Squirtle squirt!" _Ow! That hurted! _

Javelin felt quite pleased, hearing that from her opponent. "Spearow! Spearow spear spearow spear spear!" _Of course! I have successfully executed that move with grace and speed! _

Gary realized he had forgotten about an obvious advantage to Squirtle and taunted Javelin, "Hey, you! Yeah, bird brain! I dare you to attack again!"

Squirtle stared at his owner, shocked. Just what was he thinking?! Was he trying to make him lose the battle.

Surprised, Lyfa said, "A-alright! Javelin, Growl! Then Peck again!"

Wanting to finish this match, Javelin shrieked loudly, causing Squirtle to cover his ears in pain. _'Man! Her screams are louder than Blaze's! And that's saying a LOT,' _he thought.

Once that was over, Javelin rushed down, pulling her head back so that when she was ready to attack, she would thrust him with her sharp beak as quickly and painlessly as possible.

"Now, Squirtle! Dive inside your shell!" yelled Gary, going through phase 1 of his plan.

Eyes widening, Squirtle ducked down, sliding his head, tail, and other body parts inside. When Javelin struck his shell, she was knocked back by the strong defensive object, falling on her , the shell was also thrown a bit due to the impact, but it didn't harm its wearer.

Irritated at her failure, Javelin flew down once more, pecking the shell over and over in any of the sides. Her attacks didn't even scratch at Squirtle's impenetrable defense, which was beginning to tire her out.

"It's no use, Javelin! Retreat!" said Lyfa, quickly figuring that Peak won't do much. Seeing that she needed to catch her breath, Javelin nodded before turning and flying up.

However, the Flying-type didn't get very far, for Squirtle came out of his shell and stood up before squirting out bubbles at her back.

Javelin cried out before crashing to the ground, underestimating the power of his Bubble move. "S-spearow...spearow spear spear spear spearow..." _H-how...how dare you attack me from behind... _

Squirtle smugly rubbing his nose with his finger. "Squirtle. Squirtle squirt." _Simple. I cheated. _

Normally, Gary would scold Squirtle for making a move without his approval, but given the situation, he let it slide. "Good job, Squirtle! Do Bubble again!"

Aiming at the fallen Javelin, Squirtle shot out bubbles from his mouth; the bubbles gaining closure towards Javelin.

"Javelin! You'll get hit! Fly up!" Lyfa said, pointing to the sky.

Spotting the bubbles, Javelin raised her body as quickly as possible and flew up, barely dodging the bubbles. Javelin panted, trying to catch her breath. Though flying around does tire her out a little, it was nothing compared to the huge amount of energy she put in in her countless barrage assault just before.

"Squirtle! Keep using Bubble! Over and over!"

Squirtle squirted out more and more bubbles came out, one assault from another. He kept shooting out bubbles while Javelin danced around in the skies with grace and dodging the swarm of bubbles. The more Javelin dodged, the more tiresome she grew; Squirtle was with the same case, only he was running out of moves to use. This kept going for several more minutes.

"Javelin, please continue dodging and strike at the right time!"

"Ha! Not a chance! Squirtle! Use Bubble again!"

Squirtle nodded, looking straight at the panting Javelin, whose speed was decreasing more and more as time passed. He took a deep breath and let it out, wanting the form of his released breath to be small, explosive bubbles.

However, nothing came out.

Gary was shocked. "H-huh? Bubble's gone?"

Lyfa sighed in relief. It seems that Squirtle used up all his power to cast Bubble, giving Javelin a bit of an advantage. "Javelin! Use all your remaining power to fight back, please!"

"Spearow!" _Yes! _Javelin, using the last of her speed, zoomed in towards Squirtle and her beak glowed, something that's never happened before. She then struck Squirtle's arm and began repeatedly pecking him over and over like mad.

Surprised, Lyfa snapped out of it when her Pokedex started vibrating like crazy. She took it out of her pocket, wanting to see what the fuss was about.

**"Fury Attack, a Normal-type move that's also multi-strike and repeatedly hits an opponent. Useful for multiple assault attacks." **

Squirtle groaned from the continuous blows until he was delivered a clean shot in the head, knocking him out even before he hit the ground. "Squirtle squirt..." _I'm out... _

"Damn! I lost..." cursed Gary, placing Squirtle back in his Pokeball so he could rest. "Tch...you got lucky, Green!"

Lyfa nodded, agreeing with him. That battle was too close! It was thanks to her two Pokemon hanging on by the thread that she was able to win. Had Gary's Squirtle contained a bit more power, this would have been all over for her!

"Tch...Here!" Gary shoved a few Potions into her arms. "Think of it as your reward for...for beating me...damnit. But, know this, Green! I'm gonna get stronger, tons of stronger than this time, and way better than you!"

"..." Being the quiet girl she is, Lyfa nodded.

"Man...even your silence ticks me off! Whatever!" He shoved right past her, brushing his arm off her arm roughly before coming to a stop, not bothering to turn around. "...I don't think you should try battling the Pokemon Trainers at the Pokemon League. They're tough, just like me. Try somewhere easier, like the Viridian Forest. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to head back to Pallet Town, and talk to my sis about something with handing annoying girls maps..."

After watching him leave, Lyfa sighed in relief. She placed the Potions in her bag, then grabbed the two Pokeballs which contained her small team. She hugged them close to her chest, a bit of thanks for their hard work.

Now, all she had to do was head to the Pokemon Center. Only problem was that she was utterly lost.

* * *

_Later, that night... _

Daisy was sipping on some tea, smelling the sweet smell of the aroma coming from her drink. She had managed to tuck Lyfa's Grandma into bed and returned home herself, now enjoying a cup of tea to rest, relax, and-

**WHAM! **The front door opened, revealing an angry looking Gary with an anime tick mark on his head. Whatever he had in mind, it was not good.

"You! Green! Map! Traitor!"

This wasn't the first time Gary's acted this way, or the fact that he smashed opened the door like that. Therefore, Daisy didn't react much to his appearance, just continuing to sip her tea.

"Whatever do you mean, little bro?"

"Don't play all innocent on me! I know you handed that annoying Green the map!"

_'Wow, I didn't think he'd find out so soon,' _thought Daisy, somewhat impressed. "Yup, I did."

"Why?! I specifically said not to!"

"No, YOU said not to. I just sat there and listened. I didn't agree to anything. Besides, Lyfa needed the map so she doesn't get lost, like you would."

Gary scoffed, crossing his arms. "Oh yeah? Name one time I was lost!"

"Gary, you couldn't even locate Viridian City and went back to me, begging for a Town Map."

"...Anyone could have made that mistake!"

Daisy sighed. "Whatever. Look, do you need something?"

"Hmm...well, I was planning to spend the night at the Pokemon Center in Viridian City, but I changed my mind! I'm crashing here tonight!"

"Okay, little bro. By the way, what did happen while you were on your journey? Catch any new Pokemon?"

Gary glanced at his belt, which contained his two Pokeballs. "Yeah. Caught a Pidgey. Then, I met Lyfa somewhere near the Pokemon League and...beat her."

Squirtle and Pidgey, who were currently resting inside their Pokeballs, rolled their eyes. "Squirtle!/Pidgey!" _Liar!/Liar! _

Frowning, Daisy felt a bit suspicious in his words before noticing something else. "Aha! You said Lyfa's name for the first time!"

"W-what?"

"Lyfa! You said you met 'Lyfa' somewhere near the Pokemon League! Normally, you would speak her last name, but you spoke her first name! Eek!" Daisy was squealing. "That means you're getting closer to Lyfa!~"

"What?! No!" Gary looked away. "No way am I ever going into a relationship with that idiot! Here, I'm gonna freshen up! Just fed my Pokemon, alright?" He tossed his two Pokeballs to her and walked upstairs.

Clicking on the middle buttons, Daisy released both of Gary's Pokemon. She cooed at how cute they both were, her eyes widening with curiosity.

"Squirtle squirt..." _Oh, Arceus... _Squirtle didn't seem the least happy to see Daisy. Of all the sibilings Gary had, why did it have to be HER?!

"Pidgey pidg? Pidgey pidg pidg!" _What's wrong? I already like this human! _Pidgey didn't understand what Squirtle's problem was; Daisy seemed pretty for a human.

"Ooh! I just can't wait to pinch your cheeks! Now, which one should I do...?" wondered Daisy.

"Pidgey pidg? Pidg pidg!" _Pinching cheeks? Me, me! _Pidgey was raising his wing, jumping up and down.

Squirtle looked horrified at Pidgey. "Squirtle squirt! Squirtle squirtle squirtle!" _Dude, no! She's gonna kill ya! _

"Pidgey! Pidgey pidg pidg! Pidgey pidge pid-PIDGE!" _Squirtle! That is a rude thing to say! I'm sure everything will be-ACK! _

"Ooh! Your feathers are so smooth! I can't wait to see how soft you are! Eek!"

"*Sigh* Squirtle squirtle squirt..." _I did try to warn him... _

* * *

**Finished at long last! Forgive me for not updating so soon! I'll try updating again soon enough! Read and review!~ And any ideas for the story would be nice!**


	5. Turning Over A New Leaf!

**Hey, guys! Gonna continue this still!**

**Disclaimer: Mage of Hope doesn't own Pokemon, only the OCs! Pokemon Company owns all Pokemon! **

* * *

"Chaaarrr! Char charmander char char?" _Borrrring! When am I finally gonna fight some worthy opponents? _

Blaze had been complaining nonstop for the past few minutes while he was being held in his mistress's arms. So far, any Pokemon he battled with in the Viridian Forest were mostly of Bug-types, and last time he checked, Bugs were obviously no match for fire.

Just a few minutes after Lyfa entered the Viridian Forest, she grew frightened of the dark surroundings and mystique behind the tall, lush trees and bushes. After a while, she called forth Blaze, asking for his assistance while she explored around and held him close for safety.

Although Blaze disliked being carried this way, at least he was able to burn anything, so long as his mistress commanded it. Besides, this was twice as better than staying in some Pokeball, doing absolutely nothing. Too bad all the Pokemon he's faced were all peons. He kinda expected more of a challenge.

**SPLAT! **Lyfa lightly gasped, looking down. It appears that she stepped on a small beehive filled with honey, which was oozing out of the small hole Lyfa accidentally created. She stepped away and wiped her sticky, honey-covered shoe with a tree nearby.

**RUSTLE! RUSTLE! **The bushes shook right next to Lyfa, _very_ close to her. She cringed and immediantly ran backwards until her back collided with a tree, making her yell in pain.

Appearing out of the bushes happened to be a wild and furious-looking Pokemon with black and bright yellow Pokemon with rounded, veined wings and sharp stingers that looked similar to jousting lances. Its red eyes were as sharp as its stingers, and they spelled out danger towards any it deems as its enemies. Right now, it seems to be glaring at Lyfa before flying up the air, letting out a shrill cry.

"Bee! Beedrill bee! Bee bee bee!" _No! My honey! I was gonna eat that! _Beedrill seemed enraged about his destroyed beehive which contained all of his honey, which was now increasing in size and forming a small puddle beneath Lyfa's feet.

"Char, charmander char char!" _Dude, go get another batch! _Blaze was ready to defend his mistress, squirming out of her arms and jumping onto the field.

While the two were engaged in their own Pokemon conversation, Lyfa decided to check out what sort of Pokemon she just encountered with her Pokedex. The Pokemon she encountered ever since she arrived in Viridian Forest happened to be Kakunas, Weedles, or Rattatas, but not this sort of Pokemon.

**"Beedrill, the Poison Bee Pokemon. The Evolved Form of Kakuna. It flies at high speeds and attacks with its large venomous stingers. Current gender: Male." **

"Beedrill! Bee bee drill!" _That's it! You die first, flame brain! _Unable to tolerate anymore of Blaze's behavior, Beedrill zoomed in and struck first, slamming Blaze with his stinger.

Blaze cried out and slammed back into a tree, but quickly got up, more angry than before. There was no way he was going to lose to a jerk like him, especially since he's a Bug-type, and he could wipe him out with ease!

Seeing Blaze so fired up made Lyfa feel flared up as well. "Blaze, use Ember!"

With that thought already in mind, flames fumed inside of Blaze as he prepared to unlease an Ember made from his rage. However, nothing but small flares came out.

"Charmander?! Char! Charmander char char char!" _What?! No! I couldn't have run out of fire power already! _

Using the Pokedex, Lyfa checked the stats of her Blaze, quickly discovering that Ember was all used up. Perhaps she should have considered using different moves in the previous battles.

"Char! Char char char! Charmander char char!" _Great! This is just great! Now I can't use my most strongest move now! _It was obvious Blaze was throwing a tantrum, rolling around and banging his small paws against the ground.

Lyfa picked up her small Pokemon and started rubbing his head in order to calm him down. Whatever magic she used worked, because Blaze managed to take some deep breaths and relax.

"Blaze, it's okay. We can still win. You still have Scratch and Smokescreen, remember?" As she was saying this, Lyfa kept rubbing his head with as much affection as she could show.

"Char! Charmander char char char!" _Oh! I totally forgot about them! _Nodding, Blaze leaped out of her arms again to stand by for battle.

Knowing that beating this Charmander wasn't going to be easy and the fact that he's a Fire-type, Beedrill braced himself with his stingers. He refused to lose! He owned part of the forest after all! He's leader of the Beedrills here!

* * *

_Much, much later..._

A little small and frail Caterpie was crawling around before latching herself onto a small leaf that had fallen onto the ground. She hasn't eaten in a while, and the leaf was fresh, so this was some good grub.

This Caterpie wasn't like any other Caterpie, for she was smaller and much weaker than any of the other Caterpies in the forest. It was a wonder how she managed to survive this long, avoiding danger like predators. Their main course were usually Caterpies, but she must have been one of the luckiest ones to last this long.

Worst, she was a Bug-type, and she's heard from humans that Bug-types are probably the weakest in the world of Pokemon. That just caused her spirits to go even lower, learning that while humans can be kind and friendly, a lot of them desire power.

She always was alone, ever since she was born and forced to survive with no friends nor family. Either her real parents abandoned her or...they were...devoured. She saw many prey being eaten alive while in hiding, and needless to say, those events traumatized her.

"Blaze, use Scratch!"

Hearing such a commanding voice nearby caused Caterpie to look in the other direction. Letting her curious mind overtake her, she decided to go check out the commotion. Although, she kept hesitating because of all the loud noises and cries.

Making use of the leaves and bushes, Caterpie buried her whole body within and poked her head out. She desperately wanted to chew on the leaves, but managed to bare it as she watched what was happening. Apparently, there was a human girl with some sort of Pokemon with a flame in his tail, and he was facing off against the leader of the Beedrills!

By the looks of things, Caterpie guessed that the Pokemon with the human girl was a Fire-type, which was bad news for her, as well as the Beedrill. On the other hand, the Fire-type Pokemon seemed to be injured pretty badly, while the Beedrill only sustained a bit of damage. It was clear who was losing and who was winning.

"Blaze! Here, let me spray some Potion on your wounds!" cried out Lyfa, holding some sort of blue bottle in her hands. She knew Blaze was in such critical condition, and if he kept this up, he's bound to lose! The least she could do is heal his wounds a bit and give out commands.

Blaze shook his head, refusing to get any medical aid until after the battle was over. He wanted to win by his own terms, without any healing. If that happened, and he did win,he wouldn't feel like it was his victory since he would win because his wounds were healed. He liked fair and square battles.

Lyfa grew concerned, not wanting to see him get hurt any further. So, she took out Javelin's Pokeball, ready to switch him out with her Spearow. Noticing Lyfa's intentions, Blaze knocked Javelin's Pokeball out of her hands, not wanting any assistance or switching out. He shook his head furiously, making Lyfa understand in a way that he never wanted any help.

Even though they only met a few days ago, Lyfa knew about Blaze's strong fighting spirit and how he always liked fighting much more than Javelin. He obviously didn't like 2-1 battles, as he refused to interact with Lyfa the first time she did that. As noble as he may be, Lyfa knew that his injuries were unavoidable, and that this battle had to come to an end right away.

Wanting to stop Beedrill and the Fire-type Pokemon, Caterpie nervously, but bravely, stepped in between them. She shot out webs of string from her mouth, launching them towards the off guarded Beedrill, who was tangled up by the strong webs.

Lyfa was surprised, but at the same time, relieved to see a Pokemon helping her and Blaze out. However, the least of her troubles were far from over.

Caterpie turned around and shot more webs at Blaze, tangling him in the same matter as Beedrill. Blaze yelped before tripping and falling, unable to get up not only due to his injuries, but also because he couldn't move his legs as well.

Thanks to her experience of avoiding trouble, she grew nimble and quick, fast enough to overrun most, if not, a lot of Pokemon. She barely fought though, but at least she knew danger from seeing Blaze's angry gaze.

"Char...charmander char char CHAR!" _You...When I get out of this, you are DEAD! _Blaze began squirming around, trying to break free of his bounds just like Beedrill was.

"Cat! Cater cater pie! _Aah! I'm so sorry! _Wanting to get out of here, Caterpie began crawling out of the area as fast as she could. She could feel Blaze's burning aura seeping through her even though she was so far away.

"Blaze! Are you alright?!" Lyfa bent down, trying to get the sticky substance off of Blaze. She failed to noticed that Beedrill had managed to scrap the last of his bindings off a few seconds ago, and was now taking flight to aim for both Blaze and Lyfa.

Noticing the Bug-type, Blaze started to yell for his mistress's attention. "Char! Charmander char!" _Hey! Look out! _He tried to get out of his wrappings as fast as he could, trying to protect his mistress from danger. After all, humans don't stand a chance against Pokemon!

Lyfa looked up and gasped before hurrying to get the sticky webs off her Pokemon. Her mind was currently messed up, so she couldn't think of summoning Javelin to protect her. All she could focus was getting herself and Blaze out of this mess.

"Beedrill bee bee!" _This is for my honey! _The Beedrill rushed at Lyfa and Blaze, ready to stab with his two pointy stingers.

Left with no other choice, Lyfa jumped out of the way with Blaze tightly cuddled in her arms. Blaze wasn't harmed, but Lyfa managed to obtain a huge bloody gash in her arm right before she landed back on the ground.

"Char?! Char! Charmander char char!" _What?! Idiot! You shouldn't have done that! _Blaze was angry with his mistress, unable to comprehend how reckless she was, protecting him like that! Now, she was left with a bad injury, and she definitely needed medical attention.

Lyfa knew that wasn't her best move, but at least her Pokemon was safe, and that was what mattered. "B-blaze...You have to use Smokescreen, please! One last huge one!"

Blaze wanted to roll his eyes. She could have just ordered him that instead of taking the hit for him! Then again, in that particular situation, he knew that she wasn't thinking straight, so he couldn't completely blame her.

Once she saw that Blaze released a huge amount of smoke from his mouth, Lyfa took advantage of Beedrill's confusion and ran off deep within the woods with Blaze still in her arms. She didn't want to risk running towards the same direction Beedrill was in, and besides, the smoke should protect them from sight, so they should be fine.

After arriving in front of a river, Lyfa collapsed and placed Blaze right next to her. She was panting due to having to run for a while nonstop. She was exhausted, but she knew she had to treat her injury or else it would be infected.

First, she took out Javelin's Pokeball and pressed the button, calling out the Spearow. "Javelin, could you please look out for any intruders?"

Javelin nodded, but then noticed how serious the gash on her arm was. "Spear! Spearow spear spear?" _Hey! Whatever happened to you? _

Blaze sat down on the ground while he watched his mistress take out a small medical kit from her backpack. "Char, charmander char char char." _Oh, she risked her life saving me. _

The female Spearow frowned, landing right in front of the Fire-type Pokemon. "Spearow spear spear." _You make it sound like it's a bad thing. _

Was it that obvious? Blaze replied, "Char! Charmander char! Charmander char char, char char! Char char char char!" _Duh! What Lyfa did was stupid! I could have taken the hit, but nooo! She just had to almost get herself killed! _

Fed up with Blaze's attitude, Javelin began pecking his head furiously. How dare he speak that of Mistress?! She just saved his life for crying out loud!

"Char! Char! Char! Charmander char!" _Ow! Ow! Ow! What was that for! _

"Spearow spearow spear spear! Spear spear! Spearow spearow spearow spearow!" _That was for Mistress Lyfa! How dare you! She saved your life and you're not even thankful! _

After patching up her arm, Lyfa saw Javelin and Blaze arguing with each other. In fact, in a matter of seconds, it looked like they were about to start a fight on their own if nobody stopped them.

"Stop it! Both of you, please!" she pleaded, kneeling them besides them and placing a hand on both their shoulders each. "Please, this isn't the time for arguing. Can you please look after each other while I go fetch wood? We're going to have to camp out here for tonight."

"Spear? Spearow spearow spearow?" _What? But don't you want one of us to go with you? _Javelin went up to Lyfa and nudged her hand, trying to show her obvious concern for her Trainer. If Lyfa was going off alone, she'd be left unprotected!

Lyfa shook her head and gently ruffled Javelin's fur. "It's alright. I'll just pick up some branches from those trees over there. They're not far. Can you do me a favor and look after Blaze? He's more injured than me. Speaking of which..."

Blaze winched as he felt some cool being sprayed all over his injured. It took him a second to realize that Lyfa was spraying a Potion on his injuries, which started to fade away, especially the bad ones. Now, if only he had his Ember all charged up, then he could have taken care of that damn Beedrill!

Afterwards, Lyfa stood up and walked towards the trees, snapping their branches as she collected them in her arms. Spearow and Blaze were watching from a distance, making sure to keep a close eye on her since any dangerous Pokemon could jump out anytime.

"Spearow spear spear." _This is all your fault, you know. _Javelin glanced at Blaze, disappointed in him.

"Char?! Charmander char char?!" _Me?! What did I do?! _

Javelin facepalmed herself with her own wing, wanting to smack Blaze. "Spearow spear spear spear, spearow spearow spear spear! Spearow spear spear! Spear spear spear! Spear! Spearow spearow spearow spearow spearow! Spearow spearow spearow spear spear spear!" _Mistress Lyfa always wanted to switch me whenever you were in danger, but you refused to obey those kinds of orders! You and your stupid pride! Think about it! Idiot! She risked her life to save yours! Forget all about your stupid pride and focus on what's on hand! _

Although he hated to admit it, Javelin was right...in some degree. While Javelin participated in very few battles, Blaze wanted to hog all the battles to himself and practically forced Lyfa to bring him out. As a result, he suffered many battle injuries, forcing Lyfa to heal him every single time he battled. This time, he was forced to forfeit after Lyfa took the blow for him.

"I'm back!" Lyfa bent down and placed all the branches she collected on the ground. "Blaze, can you put the flame on your tail to light up the wood? I'll go fetch you and Javelin some dinner, okay?"

Lyfa stood up and walked over to her backpack for the supplies as Blaze did what he was told. If only he had a move that involved his tail like Iron Tail. Maybe-maybe there should be a Move called Flame Tail! If only dreams like that could come true...

That night, everyone had already fallen asleep early so that they could have a goodnight sleep and recover their energy. Besides, Lyfa needed loads of rest so that her arm could fully heal from the Beedrill attack. Blaze and Javelin were tucked inside their warm Pokeballs while Lyfa was curled up and using a blanket to keep herself warm.

Caterpie squirmed through the bushes as she made her way to the campsite, munching on a leaf. She was heading towards the river, where she always loved to see the moon near the river. It was her favorite spot in Viridian Forest, plus predators don't come out on night, so that was an extra bonus.

Hearing soft snoring, Caterpie turned around and nearly squeaked loudly when she realized who it was. It was the same human girl from before! The one with that Fire-type Pokemon!

When Caterpie went up to her for a closer look, it seems that the human girl was asleep. On the other hand, she had something wrapped up on her arm. When Caterpie lightly nudged her arm, Lyfa hissed in pain and rolled to her side. Caterpie lightly gasped, not wanting to hurt the human girl.

As an apology, Caterpie decided to wrap her bandages up more effectively, seeing how some parts of the bandages were loose and not so tight. Using her String Shot, she managed to wrap up Lyfa's arm so that the bandages were tight and firm.

Come to think of it, Caterpie always wondered what a human's warmth was like. For her, the only source of warmth she's gotten was from laying on the grass in broad sunlight. Other Trainers wouldn't even bat an eye out for her simply because she was an _ugly, no-good_ Bug-Type.

The first and last time she saw a female human was just two days ago, and once she saw Caterpie, she only looked at her with disgust before kicking her away. Needless to say, that hurted worst than the kick. Caterpie thought she had a chance of being taken care of by a human, a female at that! Guess humans only do care about appearances.

Still, just this once, Caterpie wanted to sleep next to a human and know what it was like, hanging out with them, even for a second. Even if she gets kicked around or even burned by the human girl's Fire-type Pokemon, Caterpie couldn't care less. Life was cruel for her, anyways. The last thing she should experience is warmth anyways.

As carefully as she could, Caterpie squirmed and sighed as she curled up in Lyfa's blanket near her sleeping body. Despite the cold breezes around the area, the human's body radiated warmth, causing the Bug-type to curl up more and fall into a deep sleep.

* * *

_The next morning... _

"KYAAAAAHHH!"

Caterpie and even Blaze and Javelin inside their Pokeballs screeched and woke up from the high-pitched scream. Caterpie sprang up and saw Lyfa staring at her, slightly frightened.

Lyfa had woken up a few seconds ago, all groggy and not fully awaken quite yet. Feeling something near her thigh, she threw off her blanket and thought the Pokemon sleeping near her was a Weedle, so she freaked out and screamed.

Thinking that the human girl might start yelling or calling her disgusting, Caterpie lowered her head; her eyes filled with tears and her expression sorrowful. She turned around and started to leave the area.

"W-wait! Please!" Lyfa ran up to the Caterpie and kneeled down before picking her up to take a better look at her, surprising the Caterpie. Caterpie saw that she was taking out some unknown object, which began talking all on its own.

**"Caterpie, the Worm Pokemon as well as a Bug-type. It has a voracious appetite which allows it to eat leaves twice its size. Its short feet are tipped with suction pads that enable it to tirelessly climb slopes and walls. Current gender: Female." **

Putting away her Pokedex, Lyfa gently cradled Caterpie's cheek with one hand. Feeling the smoothness of her human skin, Caterpie eagerly rubbed her cheek against her hand, her tail wagging back and forth.

Seeing how Caterpie was cute and seemed to be taking a liking to her, Lyfa decided to propose something to the little Pokemon. "Caterpie? How would you like to come with me in my Pokemon journey? Of course, you don't have to."

"C-caterpie?" _R-really? _Caterpie felt her eyes whelming up with tears. For the first time ever, a human wanted to take her in! A kind and beautiful female human, at that! Could this be the results for suffering so hard all this time? Could she finally find happiness?

It didn't take long for Caterpie to make her decision. Her squealing and rapidly wagging tail gave Lyfa the proof she needed. Lyfa nodded, smiling a she took out a Pokeball and lightly tapped Caterpie on the forehead with it, the red light absorbing Caterpie's body as she entered inside the small capsule.

Lyfa waited for a few seconds before releasing Caterpie out of her small home, earning an eager cheer from the happy Caterpie. The Trainer took a green ribbon and tied it around her antenna, perfecting her look as a female Caterpie.

"Caterpie? Do you like the ribbon? If you don't like it, I can take it off if you-"

"Pie! Pie! Caterpie pie!" _No! No! I like it! _Caterpie shook her head before bouncing up and down in happiness. This was possibly the best, as well as the first, gift she's ever gotten from a human!

"Now, I think we should give you a nickname," said Lyfa. "Oh, I'm sorry. I forgot to introduce myself. My name's Lyfa, it's nice to meet you."

_'Lyfa, huh? That almost sounds like a leaf! I love leaves! Lyfa is definitely my favorite human so far!' _thought Caterpie, nodding her head. _'Hmm...A name...Well, humans can't understand Pokemon, so I'm fine with whatever she wants to name me!' _

Picking up Caterpie in her arms, Lyfa said, "I think...Maybe Silica would work. Silica does sound like silk, which you spit out, Caterpie. Plus, you're a girl, which makes you sound...cute. So, how do you like the name?"

"CATERPIE! Caterpie pie pie! Cater cater!" _I LOVE IT! It's the perfect name! Thank you! _

Judging from Silica's enthusiasm, Lyfa guessed that Silica was completely okay with her new name. As a matter of fact, she seemed to love the name. If she was going to be on the team, she might as well introduce her to the rest of her Pokemon. Lyfa pressed both buttons on Blaze and Javelin's Pokeballs before calling them out.

Unfortunately for Silica, the two Pokemon were two of the most terrifying Pokemon she feared. A Fire-type...and a Spearow.

A Spearow.

Silica screamed and hid behind Lyfa's leg, cowering in fear and shaking like a leaf. This was...horribly bad! The Fire-type was grinning so sinisterly at her, obviously planning something, while the Spearow seemed...disinterested and not pleased. She didn't know who was worst, the hotheaded Fire-type, or the Flying-type that's supposed to feed on insects like her! She's doomed either way!

"Okay, I'll go make some breakfast for everyone. Silica, it's okay. You should go talk to Blaze and Javelin." Having said that, Lyfa walked away despite Silica's squeaky protests.

"Char...Charmander char char..." _So...We meet again... _

"Cat!" _Eep! _Eerie, Silica turned around, facing the Fire-type with fear implanted in her mind. She stood 100% no chance against him, even if he was a little injured.

"Char! Charmander charmander char char char!" _Gah! I'm gonna make you pay for tying me up yesterday! _Furiously, an enraged Blaze began shaking Silica back and forth with his paws, causing Silica to get dizzy over and over.

With swiftness, Javelin whacked Blaze over the head. "Spear spearow? Spearow spear row!" _Could you quit it? You're acting like a child! _

"Blaze? Could you help me with the fire?" called Lyfa from afar. Blaze groaned, already intending to wring Silica's neck with his own two hands. He gave the already-traumatized Caterpie a glare.

"Char char! Char charmander char mander! Charmander char chamander, mander char char char!" _Listen up! I'm the strongest in this team! Do that stupid stunt again like last time, and you'll be feeling the wrath of my flames! _

After watching the Charmander leave to help out their mistress, Javelin turned to Caterpie, who flinched at her glare. "C-caterpie! Caterpie caterpie, cater pie pie pie!" _I-I'm sorry! I won't cause trouble, so please don't eat me! _

Javelin scoffed, disgusted. "Spearow spearow spear spear? Spear spear spearow! Spear spear spear!" _Now why would I eat disgusting vermin? I eat vegetables only! Not bloody, crude meat! _

Silica couldn't help but release a breath of anxiety. There was no point in a Spearow lying like that, so Silica could tell she was telling the truth. Still, it looked like the Spearow had more to say, so she waited for the Flying/Normal-type to continue.

Javelin spreaded her wings wide for Silica to witness as her pink scarf fluttered in the wind, still attached to her neck. "Spearow spearow spear! Spearow spearow spear spear, spear row row spearow! Spearow spearow spear, spearow spear spear." _I am the great Javelin! I am the most graceful and beautiful of all other Spearows, and you shall think of me as such! I don't know why Mistress Lyfa chose you, but I shall accept you as a teammate. _

Silica nodded, wishing for hands so she could applaude for Javelin's sake. It was true that Javelin did seem all formal and elegant, but wasn't she a bit too overconfident in herself? Not that she'll speak that out loud.

Javelin relaxed and glanced back at Blaze, who was helping Lyfa stack up some sticks to make a campfire. "Spearow spearow spear row row. Spearow spear spearow, spear, spear, and spearow spear! Spearow spear spear spear, spear spear, spearow spearow! Spearow, spear spear." _The one you met was a Charmander named Blaze. He is such an arrogant, hotheaded, overconfident, and know-it-all vermin! Blaze told me what you did yesterday, and I must say, he did deserve it! Still, be very careful around him. _

"C-caterpie!" _O-okay! _Despite her sour attitude, Silica was glad that at least one Pokemon was on her side...in a way. Even more, she was grateful to Javelin for giving her a warning and describing all about Blaze. Maybe, if she gave a little bit more patience, she should be okay.

At least until Blaze tries attempted murder with fire.

* * *

**Finished! Caterpie deserves more attention because I heard lots of people saying that Caterpie is weak just because it seems like a feeble, weak Bug-type. Bug-types can actually evolve faster if you train them the right way, like Ash's Caterpie.**

**Hey, questions! So, any ideas for the story? And should there be Pokemon Contests or Showcases in Kanto? Read and review!**


	6. Weak VS Strong

**The votes are in! Contests it is! Although, I'll change it up a bit so it's a combination of Contests and Showcases!**

**Disclaimer: Mage of Hope doesn't own Pokemon series, only the OCs! All others are owned by the Pokemon Company! **

* * *

"CHARMANDER CHAR CHAR!" _I WILL MURDER YOU! _

"Pie! Cater! Cater! Caterpie cater!" _Eek! I'm sorry! I'm sorry! Please don't hurt me! _

It was another day in Viridian Forest, where Lyfa and her Pokemon were currently taking a lunch break. While Lyfa tried cooking up varieties of Berry sandwiches, Silica's been practicing on her String Shot move on a tree. Unfortunately, Blaze accidentally got caught up during one of her shots and got his arms tangled around. That didn't stop the Fire-Type from chasing after Silica.

In the meantime, Javelin was soaring around in the skies, practicing her own moves to move much faster, sharper, and more importantly to her, _beautifully _during battle. She knew that the stronger she got, the more quicker and sharp she would grow, thus having time to elegantly finish off her opponents.

On the other hand, Silica was nibbling on a leaf, trying to regain her strength as she laid on top of a tree branch after her strong efforts of climbing up a tree. Beneath her was Blaze, who was laying on his back as he tried to breath properly after chasing after her for so long. He had to admit, for a small Caterpie, Silica sure was fast!

His first thought after resting? Use Ember on the tree she was hiding.

Of course, he knew the consequences if he did that. No food for an entire day. Blaze learned this the hard way when he wasn't granted food from Lyfa, thus starving for a full day. Although she made it up to him by giving him a huge heap of food the next day, Blaze decided that having an empty stomach wasn't worth burning down a few trees. He didn't mean to burn them down; they got in the way as he was trying to use Ember on a few enemies.

"Lunch time!" called Lyfa, laying down three bowls of Pokemon food as well as a plate of Berry sandwiches for all of her Pokemon to share. As if suddenl reenergized, both Silica and Ember rushed to grab some grub as Javelin was the first to arrive due to being close by.

Lyfa settled for her own share of Berry sandwiches, sitting on the plain grass while leaning against a tree. Her cooking wasn't as great as her Grandma, but it was about...average. She giggled, taking a nip at her sandwich as she watched her Pokemon hastily, yet carefully chewing and swallowing their food. It was quite clear that her cooking proved more than edible for them.

Blaze was the first to finish...as well as the first to lay his eyes upon his currently eating target; Silica.

Feeling eyes burning through her, Silica stopped chewing and slowly turned her head towards the direction she feared the ominous presence was coming from. Releasing a squeak, Silica started running, or rather, crawling for it in order to get away from the predator that is called a Charmander.

"PIEEEEEEEEEEEEEE! PIE CATER CAT!" _AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHH! PLEASE DON'T HURT ME! _

"Char! Charmander char char char!" _Oh, no! Not after I've been re-energized! _With that said, Blaze continued to run after Silica, unable to keep up with her quick speed as he tried to concentrate on his Ember attack on her, trying not to hit any trees or anything environment-like. That Caterpie just wouldn't stop moving, damnit!

After a while, Silica was hiding behind a few bushes, easily blending in with the forest color as she watched Blaze aimlessly wandering around. Additionally, all the anger he was seething manifested into a fiery aura which was sensed by many predators, causing them to back away out of fear. At least she wouldn't have to worry about any predators coming for a Caterpie meal.

Silica happily squirmed around until she fell out of the bushes. Brushing aside any dust, she started crawling away, deciding to return back to campus in a few minutes. Well, that was her original plan until she happen to bump into...someone...

* * *

_Several minutes later... _

"Silica! Silica! Where are you?" called out Lyfa, trying to figure out where her Caterpie went to. After cleaning up from lunch's results, she was about to put all her Pokemon back in their original Pokeballs when she noticed a certain, new member was missing. Blaze was walking around with her while Javelin was soaring the skies, trying to locate the Bug-Type from above.

Blaze couldn't help but feel...awful. He knew Silica didn't mean to String Shot him, but still...Wait, what was he thinking?! Why would he suddenly feel sympathy and guilt over the newbie?! He was a Fire-Type and she's a Bug-Type! Why should he feel any sort of pity for the weak? The strong triumphs! That's how it's always been with wild and how it always will be!

Then, Javelin came flying down and landed on a low tree branch, prompting Lyfa to rush towards her Flying-Type as she rested. "Javelin? What's wrong?"

"Spear! Spearow spearow! Spearow!" _Hey! I found Silica! Hurry! _The urgent look on Javelin's face was all Lyfa needed to know. Silica must be in some sort of trouble, and she, as her Trainer, must hurry!

Slowing her pace so that her Trainer could keep up, Javelin flew down nearby Blaze; an unhappy look on her face "Spear, spearow spearow spearow spear. Spear spear spear." _You know, you could act nicer to Silica. She's done no harm. _

"Cha! Charmander char char? Char char charmander!" _Feh! Why do I care about that weakling? The strong always triumphs! _Blaze kept to his morals, not caring one bit about Silica's current condition.

Shaking her head, Javelin wanted to tell Blaze about her discovery, but kept her beak shut. No, he would have to see it for himself. The best she could do right not was grant him a disaproving look before flying off further.

"Ha! Take this! And that!"

Curiosity filled Lyfa's head as she heard a voice preaching closer and closer. It was at this moment that Javelin made a turn and lead her Trainer and Blaze towards something they never truly expected and would be remembering for quite a long time.

A male Trainer was beating a Caterpie by throwing rocks and sticks at her. More specifically, Silica, the Caterpie Lyfa owns.

"Noo!" Crying out, Lyfa reached out and embraced the little Pokemon, protecting her as she took the blows herself. Winching and flinching with each blow she received, she cradled Silica in her arms as she tried to see if she was alright. Caterpie was unconscious and breathing heavily, having been beaten badly and in need of a Potion.

Squwaking angrily, Javelin began pecking at the Trainer, forcing him to stop and cover his head. How dare he?! So far, this...this _abomination _of a human is worst than any human she's ever encountered! Treating helping Pokemon who couldn't do anything like that is just cruel! This Trainer was now #1 on her Top Ten Things I Loathe List, with Blaze being #2.

Blaze was just...frozen. Just the sight before him previously just...stunned him. It reminded him of such a painful memory that he doesn't want to recall himself. All he could do was just stare and do absolutely nothing to help resolve the situation.

"Ow! Ow! Ouch! Hey, quit it!" The Trainer turned to Lyfa and angrily shouted, "Hey, girly! Ow! Tell your stupid bird-ow! Tell it to quit it!"

"...hy?"

"Huh?"

Indignantly, Lyfa glared at the Trainer; her eyes burning with anger as she cradled Silica tightly. "Why would you do this to Silica?! What did she ever do to you?!"

"You mean the Caterpie? Eh, it was in my way! If anything, it's all that _thing's _fault," replied the Trainer cockily, placing his hands in his pockets as Javelin landed right next to Lyfa. "It bumped into me, and I thought that it would be fun to torment the poor thing."

"So, just because Silica accidentally ran into you, you decided to justify it by hurting her?!" exclaimed Lyfa, gritting her teeth. Never before has she ever hated anyone in her life!

Javelin and Blaze stepped back; their instincts alerting them that it was too dangerous to approach their Trainer. They've never seen their Trainer this angry before, and just the fire in their eyes scared them a little, which is weird considering that Blaze is a Fire-Type. Yet, at the same time, they've just now grew some more respect for her.

It just goes to show how caring and fiercely protective Lyfa truly is.

"Why would you even want that thing anyways? Caterpies are weak!" shouted the Trainer. "Always have been, always will be!"

"No! Silica isn't weak!" said Lyfa.

"Oh, yeah? Then how about this? Tommorow at noon, we'll meet here again! A one-on-one battle between you and me! I win, well, I take all your money! You win, and I'll even apologize to the poor guy and never view any Pokemon as weak again! Oh, and the Pokemon you choose to fight with has to be Caterpie!"

"Spear?! Spear spear spearow!" _What?! That's unfair! Unforgivable! _Gawking, Javelin knew that Silica wouldn't stand a chance against this Trainer's Pokemon, whatever they are.

"O-okay, then!" Lyfa said, standing up with Silica still in her arms.

The Trainer offered a hand, which was the least he could do. "Then, I'll see ya tommorow. I'm Garland, by the way."

Refusing to take his hand, Lyfa stepped back. "...I'm...Lyfa. Let's go, Blaze, Javelin, and Silica." Carrying Silica, Lyfa turned and walked away with her other two Pokemon trailing after her.

* * *

_Later... _

"Cater...Cater cat cat?" _Ow...What just happened? _Silica was slowly starting to wake up, feeling painful sores all over her frail body. She whined quietly as she squirmed and sat up while something was spraying at her skin, stinging her, yet slowly healing her wounds at the same time.

"Oh! Silica! You're awake!" cried out Lyfa, putting away the half-empty Potion before rubbing her Caterpie's back. "Are you okay?"

Silica nodded slowly before looking up at her owner, curious as to what happened previously. She couldn't remember anything but the fact that she was running away from Blaze and talking a short walk.

Trying to be as descriptive as possible, Javelin explained everything that's happened so far. Lyfa saved Silica after she had been knocked out and was being picked on by a mean Trainer that went by the name of Garland. In order to prove Silica's worth as well as save her life, Lyfa agreed to a one-on-one battle with the Trainer, promising to use only Caterpie.

While Silica was grateful for everything Lyfa's done, she knew that she was definitely going to lose the match. It was obvious! She's too weak, and she's never participated in a battle before!

"Silica?" Picking her up, Lyfa smiled gently at her. "Please don't worry. I'll help you train. Not just me, but Javelin and Blaze, too."

"Char, char?! Char! Charmander char char!" _Wait, what?! No! I don't wanna waste time helping her! _Blaze might not like what happened back there, but he was certainly not going to waste his time training Silica!

Ears picking up, Javelin glanced over at Blaze. "Spear, spearow spearow spear...spear spear!" _Oh, you'll do it alright...Or else! _

"Char char char?" _Or else what? _

A moment later, Blaze found himself dangling ten feet off the ground with Javelin keeping a grip on his shoulders with her talons.

"CHAR CHAR CHAR?!" _ARE YOU CRAZY?! _

"Spear spearow spear spear, spear spearow spearow spearow!" _Either you help poor Silica, or you'll feel the wrath of falling to your doom! _

"Grrrrr! Charmander char cha-" _Grrrrr! This is why you're such a b-" _

"Spear spearow, spearow spear spearow." _Finish that sentence, and I'll make your fall an accident. _

"Char! Charmander char! _Fine! I'll help out! _

Soon, Silica was slowly, but effectively learning how to fight and focus on her surroundings with the help of her new friends. There was to be expected mistakes throughout the entire training regiment, but soon to be fixed eventually.

Her first training session was with Javelin, the fastest out of the two of them. Their training? _Dodging. _

"Spear spear, spearow! Spearow spearow spearow spearow! Spearow spearow! Spearow spear! Spearow Spearow!" _Come on, Silica! You must evade gracefully like me! Dance like a Butterfree! Twirl like a spinning top! And always stay guard! _advised Javelin, flying around the skies and twirling around.

Silica stood up on her tiny tip toes and tried to twirl like Javelin as fast as she could. However, she fell on her back, frailing her legs all over as her head pounded from dizziness. Sad thing is, she only spun around three times before failing.

"Oh, no! Silica!" cried out Lyfa, rushing to nurse Silica back to health.

Later, Blaze was practically forcing Silica to attack him by continuously insulting her. The method of their own training? Offense.

"Charmander! Char char charmander char char!" _Come on! You expect me to be hurt like this, whiny!_

"Pie! Pie pie pie!" _Wah! I'm so sorry! _

At first, Blaze had intentionally allowed Silica to shoot String Shots at him, but Silica, being the timid, tender-hearted Caterpie that she is, tried to shoot at his feet instead of his face and chest. All of her attempts were easily dodged by the Charmander and only further annoyed him.

"CHARMANDER! CHAR!" _THAT'S IT! EMBER! _

"PIEEEEEEEEEEEE!" _AAAAAAAAHHHHHH! _

Another dodging session was in order as Silica was running away from a hot-tempered Blaze. This time, Silica tried firing her Sting Shots at his feet, effectively slowing him down as she ran for it. Unfortunately, her String Shots didn't last long since Blaze always used Ember to burn the strands of string away before proceeding the continuation of the chase game with her.

Lyfa and Javelin sweatdropped as they drank their cups of water, finding no intention to intervene due to the damage Blaze was causing. They can easily intervene as soon as too much trouble comes ahead, but now, they want to stay out of harm's way.

* * *

_The next day... _

Garland was sitting on top of a rock, twirling his Pokeball with his fingers as he waited for that Lyfa Trainer to show herself. He so couldn't wait until he pummeled that Caterpie to the ground! It would be totally satisfying!

Hearing footsteps approaching, Garland leaped off his seat and stood up; watching the same girl walking towards his direction. Good, he was kinda getting sick and tired of waiting.

"About time! I was growing kinda impatient with ya!" said Garland before tossing his Pokeball into the air.

Popping out from the light of the Pokeball happened to be a lone Pidgeotto. It resembled a Pidgey in every single way, except with slight alternative differences. Its talons are much more sharper, the plumage of its tail has red and yellow feathers, and it has a crest of pink feathers on its head.

"Just what is that...?" wondered Lyfa, taking out her Pokedex.

**"Pidgeotto, the Bird Pokemon. The Evolved Form of Pidgey. It flies over its wide territory in search of prey, having outstanding vision. It can down its prey with its highly developed claws. Current gender: Male." **

"Now, hurry up and take out that lame Caterpie from before!" ordered Garland. "You remember our agreement yesterday? You would only fight with Caterpie."

The name of Caterpie perked up Pidgeotto's interest as he licked his lips out of hunger. "Pidgey! Pidgeo pidgeotto pidgey!" _A Caterpie! I can't wait to taste its flesh! _

"Please stop insulting her," scolded Lyfa, staring at Garland with cold eyes. "I'll bring her out, but I'd appreciate it if you stopped insulting her."

Gary happened to be around the same area as the two Trainers, so when he heard some voices close by, he hid behind a tree and witnessed what was occurring. It seemed that his rival was going up against another Trainer. He decided to stick around, seeing that he might learn something and it was possible that his rival might have another Pokemon besides her Charmander and Spearow.

Lyfa called out Silica, who immediantly shot out of her Pokeball, fully ready for this moment to come. She had a few bandages on her body as a result of training, but she was perfectly healthy and felt stronger than before.

However, when she saw Pidgeotto, she screeched and crawled behind Lyfa's leg, shaking like a leaf.

Blinking a few times, it didn't take long for Pidgeotto and his Trainer to howl with laughter. Lyfa was doing her best to calm down and comfort the cringing and scared Silica, and Gary was facepalming to himself.

_'She called out a Caterpie?' _thought Gary, stunned. _'I'd get if it was her Charmander of Spearow, but a freakin' Caterpie? She might as well be calling out a Magikarp! She's done for.' _

"Silica, it's alright. Remember your training and just do your best," Lyfa tried encouraging. For her Trainer's sake and hard efforts, Silica nervously nodded and went back to the battlefield where she would be facing off against a Pidgeotto.

"Just letting you know, Pidgeotto's favorite snack is Caterpie!" advised Garland, smirking as his Pokemon took flight. "Pidgeotto, there's no need to use all power on this weakling! Use your Tackle attack!"

Nodding, Pidgeotto flew higher in the air before zooming downwards at a fast pace, proving that his speed was much more superior compared to Javelin's speed. When a Pokemon evolves, their powers increase dramatically as they gain new abilities, but once evolved, they can never revert back to their normal self again. A price to pay for greater power.

Taken aback by the speed Pidgeotto possessed, Lyfa tried snapping out of her shock state and yelled, "Silica, do your best to evade! HURRY!"

Silica was shaking, but managed to fire a String Shot before she was knocked back by the impact of the Tackle attack. Even though it was simply a Tackle attack, Silica could feel immense amounts of pain surging within her body. If it weren't for the strong endurance she built up through yesterday's training, she would have instantly been knocked out.

Pidgeotto soared up in the air, preparing to launch any attack his Trainer would command him to do when he noticed that his prey had gone missing. How?! He glanced around, finding no trace of the Caterpie anywhere. That was impossible!

"Where did that stupid Caterpie go?" wondered Garland, also puzzled to see Silica disappear out of nowhere. One measly little Caterpie couldn't have run off that fast! If his Pokemon spotted the Caterpie, he would have informed him, so where is she?

Gary was the only one to notice Lyfa's smirk, and he knew whenever someone smirks, it either means that a plan of theirs succeeded, or that they were planning something big. But he had to admit, in all the years he's known her, he's never seen her smirk before. It...almost makes her sorta sexy-wait, what?!

"Now, Silica! Climb up!"

"Huh? What are you talking about?" Garland demanded to Lyfa. "Your stupid Caterpie's nowhere to be found!"

"..." Lyfa didn't say anything but stare at Garland coldly. She could tolerate being insulted herself, but she never liked it when one of her friends, especially her Pokemon, were tormented based on their appearance and weak spots.

Garland grew more and more confused until he saw Lyfa staring at the sky just now. Why would she look up at the sky for? Is she looking at Pidgeotto? Following her gaze, Garland's eyes widen when he saw the true reason why.

Silica was hanging onto a silk strand, which was attached to Pidgeotto's ankle.

How Silica managed to get there was simple. When Pidgeotto moved in to attack the Caterpie, she had time to use her String Shot at him, and although it seemed like she missed, she didn't. The String Shot managed to grab ahold of the Flying-Type's ankle and luckily, the Bird Pokemon never noticed. Both Pokemon were so high up in the air that nobody noticed anything except for Lyfa, being the mastermind of the plan.

However, like every other plan, there were risks too. One wrong step, and Silica could slip and fall to her doom. Another method would be that Pidgeotto would notice and try to break the strand apart, leading towards another possibility that Silica could fall to her death.

"Pidgeotto, below you! Right under your feet!" yelled Garland.

His Pokemon glanced down, finally spotting Silica attempting to climb up the silk strand she created. Flying around, Pidgeotto tried knocking Silica off of him, thus dangling and swinging Silica over and over. Determined not to lose her grip, Silica stayed on the strand, winching as she kept her eyes shut.

"That does it! Pidgeotto, use Gust!"

Nodding, Pidgeotto flapped his wings rapid, aiming beneath him. The winds he created using high speed and velocity merged into a minature tornado which had more than enough force to snap the strand in two and send Silica flying.

"Silica!" cried out Lyfa, running forward as soon as she saw Silica falling. She reached out and tackled forward, catching the Caterpie in her arms before sliding down the dusty ground, scraping her knees and legs.

Silica had already fainted the moment she was caught up in the Gust attack. The tornado swirled her over and over until her head felt dizziness. The dizziness along with the injuries she sustained were enough to to knock her out. Lyfa didn't care about that though; she was glad that her Pokemon was safe.

Satisfied with his victory, Garland returned Pidgeotto back to his Pokeball and walked up to Lyfa , smirking. "Ha! I win! Too easy! Goes to show how weak you are!"

"W-what do you mean?" asked Lyfa, confused and hurt by his words as she held Silica closer.

"Your Caterpie's weak, and you're probably weak as well! I mean, come on! Who in their right mind would choose a Caterpie as their Pokemon! You'd have to be awfully stupid to do that, you idiot! You're just some weak amateur who doesn't know any better!"

Lyfa acknowledged the fact that she lost, but the fact that this Trainer was rubbing his victory all over her face and insulting not just Silica, but her as well...hurt. A lot. It was worst than Gary's teasing, and his insulting was only light, but not to this depth! She could feel hot tears steaming down her cheeks as she looked away, cuddling Silica close to her chest as a way of comforting.

"Aww, you're gonna cry like some stupid crybaby? Well-!"

The next thing anyone knew, several punching sounds occured along with some cries of pain and scurrying feet. Slowing lifting up her eyelids, Lyfa saw Garland running away with injuries such as bruises and a bloody nose.

To her surprise, Gary was staring down at her.

While they locked eyes with each other, Lyfa failed to notice the blood dripping from his enclosed fist. However, she did know that he was most likely the one who beat up Garland and sent him running off into the forest.

"T-thank you, Gary..."

"Tch! That was nothing!" scoffed Gary, looking away with an irritated expression as he scratched the back of his head. "I was...looking for that guy! Yeah! He caused me trouble, so I punched him back! I-I didn't do it to help you, idiot!"

Lyfa blinked, then nodded. Even if he didn't intentionally help her out, she was still grateful for his arrival regardless. Hopefully, she'll never encounter Garland again.

"And why are you still crying, idiot?" Gary asked, flicking Lyfa lightly on the forehead. "So you lost, big deal! Remember the first time I lost to ya? I didn't start crying, now did I? So...Yeah! I'm just gonna go now. And no more crying, damnit! I can't have my one and only rival crying on me!"

After watching him leave, Lyfa wiped away her tears and sniffled, knowing that he was right. It hurted when Garland insulted her like that, but at least she knows that she's never going to be a horrible Trainer like him. Unlike him, she actually cares for her Pokemon no matter how "weak" they may seem. Still, it doesn't change the fact that she clearly underestimated him and that Silica's loss was all her fault. She must make amends and grow stronger with her Pokemon.

But, one interesting thought came to mind...Gary didn't want her crying on him? That...was going to ponder on Lyfa's mind for quite a while.

* * *

**Finished! The reason why Garland won was because his Pidgeotto was several times stronger than Silica, despite her training.**

**Read and review! Next chapter, out of Viridian Forest!**


	7. Pewter City

**Hey, guys! Lyfa is already to go along with her Pokemon! You'll see more of her soon!**

**Disclaimer: Mage of Hope doesn't own Pokemon, only the OCs! Pokemon belongs to the Pokemon Company! **

* * *

"Pewter City..." muttered Lyfa, reading the sign of the huge city before her.

Pewter City...the infamous city known as "A Stone Gray City." Fitting, considering its famous attractions such as the Pewter Museum of Science and the Pewter Gym. Lots of notable buildings almost appeared as if they were made of stone, and a lot of notable Rock-Type Pokemon were seen in construction sites, helping the builders in their jobs.

Distracted by the wonderful sights of the city, Lyfa failed to notice that she had collided and kicked away a rather strange-looking rock. Looking down, she saw that the rock had sprouted arms and opened his eyes, glaring up at her.

"Geodude! Geo geo geo! Geodude!" _Hey! Don't kick me like that! Apologize! _The rock-like Pokemon seemed angry and was bouncing up and down, looking irritated.

"..." Lyfa took out her Pokedex and started learning details on the strange Pokemon she came across.

**"Geodude, the Rock Pokemon. Found in fields and mountains. Mistaking them for boulders, people often step or trip on them." **

"Geo! Geodude!" Geodude's body began emitting a white glow almost as bright as the sun, causing Lyfa to back up a little cautiously.

**BOOM! **A shriek escaped from Lyfa's lips as she was caught in the explosion. Dust and ash covered her entire body head to toe as she stumbled around, dazed by the explosion. The Geodude laid on the ground; swirly eyes being indicated that he fainted.

"Geodude!"

A young man in a black jacket rushed over as the Geodude was waking up and shook the ashes off itself. Looking at the young female Trainer, and then to his Pokemon, the young man scolded, "Geodude! Did you use Self-Destruct _again_?"

"Geo." Geodude nodded his head.

"Is it because this young lady stepped on you or something?"

"Geo."

"Geodude! You can't just use Self-Destruct every time someone steps on you!" complained the young man before turning to Lyfa, who was regaining herself and trying to brush off any dust or ash on her clothes. "Excuse me, Miss? Are you alright? I am so sorry that my Geodude caused you any trouble!"

Lyfa shook her head to clear her mind before smiling and nodding, assuring the man that it was alright. She kneeled down and reached a hand out to Geodude, attempting to pet him when Geodude backed away and hid behind the man's legs; eyeing her closely.

Picking up Geodude in his arms, the young man told him, "Geodude. Apologize to her right now."

"...Geodude." _Sorry. _

"Excuse me, do you live here?" Lyfa spoke up for the first time ever since the young man arrived.

"Huh? Oh, yeah! My name's Andrew! Nice to meet you! And this is my only Pokemon, Geodude," introduced the young man in the black jacket, releasing one arm and holding it out for Lyfa.

Lyfa took his hand and shook it. "My name is Lyfa. Nice to meet you. Mr. Andrew, if it doesn't trouble you, could you escort me all throughout Pewter City? I'm new here."

"Yeah, of course! Think of it as an apology for all the trouble my Geodude caused!" agreed Andrew before turning towards a different path of the city. "Now, follow me and I'll show you the best parts of this city!"

Lyfa nodded and followed behind Andrew, though kept a fair distance due to Geodude's presence. As they walked, Lyfa made careful steps just in case she doesn't step on any suspicious-looking rocks. Still, the city certainly earned its name as the main color was gray colors; gray buildings, gray paths, gray stores...Everything was mostly gray. Normally, gray was a dull color and represents depression, but now, the color seemed to represent hardworking as the gray-colored stones helped build the city.

Soon, they came across a huge museum with several people entering in and out, whether they were just sightseeing or employees. A sign stood in front of the museum which stated: **Pewter Museum of Science. No Pokemon allowed! **

"First off, here's the Pewter Museum of Science!" announced Andrew. "Inside, any and all customers can gaze upon the museum's ancient artifacts! It's so wonderful! They're mainly full of scientific and fossil exhibits, plus a lot of rare rocks!"

Noticing that some people were glancing at their direction due to Andrew's loudness, Lyfa tapped him on the shoulder. "...Mr. Andrew, you're being too loud. Please take a deep breath and calm down."

"Oh! Sorry!" Taking Lyfa's advice, Andrew managed to calm down. "Sorry, it's just that I'm a bit of a rock fanatic. That's to be expected when you've lived here your entire life. Do you want to enter the museum now or later in your own time?"

Glancing at the museum one more time, Lyfa shook her head. "Maybe later. Shall we go, please?"

"Of course! Here, I'll show you! To the Pewter Gym!"

The Pewter Gym wasn't quite as large as the entirety of Pewter Museum of Science, but still large, regardless. The entrance wasn't...much. In fact, it almost looked like a rundown building with some cracks shown here and there. Yet, the title "Pewter Gym" was enlisted right at the top of the entrace where everyone could see it. Perhaps the inside would be better than the outside.

"This is the Pewter Gym! Hey, Lyfa? Do you know what happens when you collect all eight badges?" questioned Andrew, receiving a shrug from her. "Well, if you collect all eight, then you get to participate in the Pokemon League, where you have to face off against the Elite Four, and then the Champion! If you do that, you're officially the new Champion of Kanto! Isn't that exciting?!"

Lyfa nodded; a bit of excitable spark in her eyes. Just then, the Gym doors burst opened and a kid cradling an injured Raticate hurried past them, murmuring, "Oh, man! That Gym's so tough! Gotta get to a Pokemon Center!"

"Wow, Gym Leaders sure don't show any mercy," sighed Andrew, shaking his head. "Then again, if they don't, no way will kids learn."

"...Pokemon Center?" wondered Lyfa, tilting her head.

"Ah. That's...Well, I guess you could say it's a hospital for Pokemon only. Plus, Trainers are granted free room and food there in case they don't have anywhere else to stay for the night," said Andrew. "Plus, the Nurse Joys there are so lovely and elegant and-"

"..." Lyfa glared daggers right at Andrew's back, forcing him to sense a menacing aura coming from Lyfa. Oops, perhaps he shouldn't talk about women right in front of a girl. It might make him sound like a pervert.

"N-never mind!" stammered Andrew, quickly changing the subject. "So, the Pewter Gym specializes in Rock-Type Pokemon only. Grass and Water-Types are highly effective against Rock-Types, so it's best to use them."

"...What about other Types?" asked Lyfa.

"Well, best not to use Fire, Flying, or Bug-Types! They're the worst against Rock-Types! Good thing you probably don't have any of them! Ahahaha!"

_'...But I do have those Types!' _thought Lyfa, silently panicking. What was she going to do? If she wanted to beat this Gym Leader, she definitely needed to train and strengthen her Pokemon!

"Anyways, moving on!" said Andrew, marching forward towards a different destination. Lyfa took one last glance at the Gym before following Andrew.

This time, the building they came across was known as a Contest Hall, which happened to be large, colorful, and had somewhat of a unique design to it. In front of the Contest Hall was a huge screen displaying the current event happening inside.

"What's this place?" wondered Lyfa.

"This is a Contest Hall! Have you ever heard of Contest Performances?" Andrew turned to her, asking only to get a shake in the head. "Well, Contest Performances are a combination of both Contests and Performances! In the first stage, also known as the Performance Stage, people known as Coordinating Performers must have their Pokemon perform and show off their skills. Also, Coordinating Performers must also participate!"

"Like...that person up there?" Lyfa pointed to the screen where a Coordinating Performer was about to begin her debut.

**"Flareon! Use Fire Spin!" **cried out the female Coordinating Performer, twirling around in one place as if she was a top. Her Flareon leapt onto the air and, looking downwards, unleashed a wide, spiral flame-like blast downwards which trapped the Coordinating Performer in place.

The announcer cried out, **"Wow! While twirling like a professional ballerina, Flareon is trapping her in a spiral, flame-like cage! It's risky, but also gains a lot of attention as well!" **

Taking out a short baton that was strapped to her back, the Coordinating Performer ceased her twirling and ordered, **"Flareon, Shadow Ball!" **

As the Coordinating Performer tossed the swirling baton up in the air, Flareon fired a dark ball of energy down at the Fire Spin, causing a small explosion along with loads of smoke.

**"My goodness! A chaotic blast! But what happened to the Coordinating Performer and her Flareon?!" **

After the smoke cleared, there stood the Coordinating Performer, twirling her baton with one hand and the other was holding up Flareon high in the air. **"Flamethrower, Flareon! Finish it off!" **

Flareon opened its mouth and let out a small flamethrower that sprang up like a flaming geyser, causing the audience to applaud and cheer for the two of them.

**"Oh my! First, a mysterious illusion that caused us viewers to believe the two of them were injured, but in reality, they were alright! Next, Flareon unleased a Flamethrower that acts like a mini fire fountain! Remarkable! Give it up for the two of them!" **

"Wow..." gasped Lyfa, eyes twinkling as she watched the performance with amazement. Her heart has never beated this fast with thrilling excitement before! That Coordinating Performer truly was skilled at this!

"Next after that is the second stage, which is the Random Stage," explained Andrew. "The Random Stage is always different. It would be a quiz, cooking, or dancing. Anything is a possibility, but in every group, there are always three people, and one of those three advances to the final stage. The Battling Stage where one battles until there's only one left."

"What's the reward if there's one left?" asked Lyfa.

"A Ribbon! In order for one to compete in the Contest Performance League, one must have eight Ribbons in total to enter!"

"So, they're like Badges?"

"Yes, exactly!"

"Hmmm..." Lyfa continued examining the other Coordinating Performers, finding sudden interest into them. "Mr. Andrew, I'd like to stay here a bit longer."

"I don't mind, but I have to return to work, soon," told Andrew, glancing at his watch. "Sorry for that! I hope you enjoyed the tour, though! Oh, and just to let you know, the Pokemon Center isn't too far. Just go east and you'll see it!"

"I see. Thank you, Mr. Andrew," thanked Lyfa, bowing her head to him.

"No problem! See you later!" Andrew ran off with Geodude still in his arms, intent on returning back to his working duties.

For the past few hours, Lyfa remained in the same spot she was in, staring up at the Contest Hall screen as the Performance, Random, and Battling Stages occured Each event left her mesmerized as well as a brand new determination to do something.

Once the winner was announced and handed the Pewter Ribbon, Lyfa ran off somewhere else with two new goals in mind.

Training her Pokemon to defeat the Gym as well as compete in the Contest Performances.

* * *

_Several hours later... _

"Okay...I think I got this!" muttered Lyfa; she and her entire Pokemon team standing in the middle of Viridian Forest not too far from Pewter City. "Blaze, use Ember on Javelin! Javelin, fly up in the air and dodge! Silica, please raise your head high and use String Shot!"

Confused, all three did what they were told to do so, though Blaze did so with more joy and pleasure of wanting to fry the annoying bird Javelin was airborne, Blaze fired small bullets of fire up towards her.

Javelin found it a measly thing to dodge, so she spread her wings and flew downwards, left, right, and so on. Easily dodging the bullets of fire, she even attempted making airborne somersaults and soaring circles all around the rain of bullets. This frustrated Blaze, as he wanted to burn Javelin to the ground with all his might, so he increased the amount of his Ember attacks as well as the might of them due to his anger.

Meanwhile, Silica was struggling to keep up an image of a string-like faucet. While she can produce a large amount of string, there is a limit to how much, plus she needed to catch her breath every now and then. Still, if this was for her kind Trainer, then she'll endure it for now!

Standing by, Lyfa first examined both Javelin and Blaze. _'Hmm...' _she pondered. _'Javelin is clearly good at dodging, plus her skills are elegant and looks like she's air dancing. I think she likes dancing, so maybe she might be a good partner for the first stage. Then again, I need to do something too. And Blaze's fire powers might be good for providing some background.' _

Turning, she saw Silica in a critical condition. Silica's large amount of her String Shot caused a huge fountain full of silk to rise up to the skies like a fountain, but Silica's face was turning blue due to lack of air and too much power onto her String Shot.

"Ah! Silica!" Scooping her up, Lyfa rocked her back and forth in her arms, attempting to comfort her. "Here, here...Take a deep breath...calm down..."

What she failed to notice was that the amount of silk gathered poured down upon both Lyfa and Silica, dousing them completely with sticky silk. Lyfa tried moving, but tripped and fell on her back, sticking her and Silica to the ground; unable to move or speak.

"Char char! Charmander char char char char!" _Damnit! Get down here so I can fry you, Spearhead!_ Once again, Blaze was trying to shoot down Javelin with his Ember attacks, but they were failing poorly.

"SPEAROW?! Spear, spear sp-" _SPEARHEAD?! Why, I'd never-!_ Before Javelin could defend her glorious and fabulous-looking head, she spotted both Lyfa and Silica tangled up in silk. "Spear spear! Spearow!" _Oh no! Mistress! _

Blaze saw the entire commotion and sweatdropped. _'Just how did Lyfa and the Caterpie managed to get themselves into that? Gah, never mind!' _he thought, following Javelin as she swarmed down on their Trainer and Silica.

Javelin began picking a piece of the sticky string, only to pull it back in a very long and endless pile of string. "Spear spearow! Spearow spearow spearow spear!" _There's too much! It'll take forever for my lovely beak to take them out! _

Flames engulfed Blaze's mouth as he prepared to unleash a strong Ember blast. "Charmander char char! Charmander char charmander char char!" _Don't worry about it! I'll just burn away the silk and we'll be all fine! _

However, Javelin seemed displeased and horrified by the idea as she quickly flew in Blaze's way. "Spearow spear! Spearow spearow spear!" _That's called arson! You'll end up burning them to death! _

Irritated, Blaze stomped his foot and ceased his Ember attack. "Char...charmander char! Charmander char char char!" _Jeez...All you do is complain! I don't see you with anymore bright ideas! _

Javelin huffed angrily. "Spearow spear spear! SPEAR spearow spear! Spear, spearow spear spear! SPEAR!" _Oh, I have a grand idea! DON'T burn them to death! Instead, I have another great idea! GUST! _

Flapping her wings at a high speed, a strong gust of wind was created and managed to blow away several strings tangling Silica and Lyfa, but it was enough as there was still many more to go.

"Char?! Charmander char char?!" _What?! When did you learn that?! _questioned Blaze, astonished to see such a powerful wind-related Special Attack Move.

Smirking with confidence, Javelin bragged, "Spearow spear spear spear! Spear, spearow spear, spearow spear spearow spear spear!" _I learned a few hours ago during our training! But, because it was recently new, I wanted to perfect it elegantly and perfectly before revealing my new Move to Lyfa! _

Seeing the struggling cocoon-like form of both his Trainer and Silica, Blaze grew a bit worried. "Charmander char. Char, charmander char charmander char char, char charmander char." _I think we should hurry. Because, I don't think humans and Pokemon can survive without air, and that cocoon doesn't have any air holes. _

Squawking, Javelin turned back to the cocoon and tried to devise a plan to save both Lyfa and Silica when she figured it out. "Spear! Spearow! Spearow spear spear!" _Okay! I've got it! You have to use Ember on me! _

Blaze was more than obliged to do so, as he quickly fired Ember from his mouth. Taken aback, Javelin flapped her wings as quickly as she could, activating Gust to redirect the small fireballs all over the cocoon. Due to the air pressure and redirection, Ember's power decreased enough to burn holes all over the cocoon and even managed to burn off enough string for Silica and Lyfa's faces to be visible.

Gasping for air, Lyfa and Silica saw that this was all Blaze and Javelin's doing and sighed in relief. "Whew! Could you break us out of here?"

Of course, Blaze and Javelin were in another one of their bickering moments.

"Spear! Spearow spearow spear!" _Hey! Wait until I give the command! _

"Char! Charmander char char char!" _Feh! I don't obey your commands, only Lyfa's! _

Annoyed, Lyfa shouted, "Please stop arguing and get us freed!"

Forced too cooperate with one another, Javelin continued using Gust while Blaze fired Ember, and with the combination of both Moves, managed to burn away the cocoon and free Lyfa and Silica.

"Caterpie! Caterpie pie!" _Thank you! Thank you so much! _thanked Silica, bowing her head back and forth.

"...Spear...Spear spearow spearow." _I...Guess we made a good team, _admitted Javelin, unable to face Blaze.

"Charmander...Charmander char." _Just a little...I did most of the work. _Blaze refused to completely acknowledge Javelin's help as Lyfa was checking out Javelin's new Move.

"Spear?! Spearow spear spear! _What?! Don't lie you impudent fool! _

"Charmander, char char char char!" _Last time I checked, you were the one complaining all the time! _

The Pokedex read outloud, **"Gust is a Flying-Type move that's mid-ranged and far-range, creating powerful winds or even a strong, small tornado to blow foes away." **

Watching both her Charmander and Spearow bickering again, Lyfa sighed, knowing that even though they grew stronger, they still needed tons of training and cooperation. But, their previous teamwork gave her an idea...

* * *

**Finished!**

**NOTICE! NOTICE! In the reviews, please tell me next chapter whether you want a Gym Battle, or a Contest Performance!**

**Also, tell me if you want me to list the rules of the Contest Performance so that all newbies can learn the combination of both a Contest and a Performance, please!**


	8. Pewter City's Coordinating Performance

**Hey, folks! The votes are in! And, the first thing Lyfa will be participating is...A CONTEST PERFORMANCE! So, I shall list the rules for a Contest Performance! It's a combination of both a contest and a performance, so listen up!**

**1\. There are no Ranks unlike in the Pokemon games. Instead, there's a total of 8 Contest Halls, all located in each location where each Gym takes place. People known as Coordinating Performers participate in Contest Performances.**

**2\. If you manage to get all 8 Ribbons, which are basically like Badges, but in Contest Performances, then you are allowed to enter the Grand Festival. The Grand Festival is just like the Pokemon League, but for things like Contests.**

**3\. There are 3 stages in a Contest Performance. The first is the Performance Stage, where both Coordinating Performers and Pokemon cooperate and perform together. A total of 3 Coordinating Performers are forced into one group, and they each take turns. Only 1 Coordinating Performer out of 3 in that group can proceed to the 2nd Stage. Only the audience are the judges and once they've seen three Performances in one group, they must vote only once one out of three in that group can proceed. Whoever has the most votes in that group can move on. Only 1 or 2 Pokemon can be used.**

**4\. The Second Stage is called the Random Stage, where it's always different and random each time a Contest Performance takes place so others don't memorize new tactics in the Random Stage. The Random Stage could be anything, like Poffin Making, physical exercise, Berry picking, and somewhat. Like the 1st Stage, only 1 out of three people in a group can advance to the 3rd and final round. However, instead of the audience being the judge, there is a certain time limit and whoever does great out of three in a group can move on. Only one Pokemon can be used from each participant.**

**5\. The 3rd Stage is the Battle Stage, where each participant must compete in battling until there's only 1 left. The last one remaining is rewarded a Ribbon.**

**Now if you have anymore questions, please tell me in the Reviews!**

**Disclaimer: Mage of Hope doesn't own Pokemon, only the OCs. Pokemon is own by Pokemon Company. The OCs Crystal and Luke aren't mine, but created by LaughingMangoes.**

* * *

"Alright, Blaze and Javelin! Jump into the air!" commanded Lyfa, raising her arm in the air.

Just like they practiced before, both Charmander and Spearow leapt/flew into the air, with Blaze being significantly higher than Javelin for reasons about to unfold.

"Now, Blaze, unleash your Ember! Spearow, use Gust the moment he does!"

Blaze let loose small fireballs from his mouth, and Spear flapped her wings several times to create strong, though not too much, winds, which caused the fireballs to scatter to different locations. Several landed on the ground while others were flung to different directions.

Both Pokemon landed on the ground at the same time, right near the crisp, burnt areas on the ground where the combination of both their Moves landed.

_'Hmm...It may need to add a little something to improve it along with a bit of my help since I need to participate in the performance too,' _thought Lyfa before grabbing two handful of leaves. "I have a new idea! Alright, both of you jump and-"

"EEEEEKKK! My skirt! Fire! FIRE! HELP! HELP!"

"Huh?" Lyfa dropped the leaves she held, which fluttered down harmlessly before running towards the sounds of the shrieking cries for help. Blaze and Javelin followed suit, wondering what had happened.

It didn't take long for both Trainer and her Pokemon to discover where the fire was happening. A young girl about Lyfa's age was trying to use a fan to put out the small fire that was constantly growing at the hem of her black skirt.

The girl wore a lavender long-sleeved, buttoned vest over a black dress shirt, has long, wavy purplish-hair tied in a high ponytail, and her eyes were sky blue. She continued shrieking and trying to put out the fire, when really, all she's doing is making it stronger and bigger little by little.

"S-Sis! Hold on! Please calm down!" cried out a small, young boy. Like his sister, he had black hair, but no streaks of purple anywhere. He had the same exact eye color like her, and he wore a white dress shirt with a dark blue long-sleeved, buttoned vest with a sky blue bowtie and dark blue trendy pants.

"What happened?!" called out Lyfa, approaching the two sibilings.

"P-please help us, Miss!" pleaded the young boy. "My name is Luke, and this is my Big Sis, Crystal! We were walking and then all of a sudden, my Sis's skirt caught on fire and I don't know what to do!"

"Get it out! Get it out!" Crystal screamed, now jumping up and down frantically.

Lyfa nodded. "Javelin, use Gust-!"

"NO! I will not allow you to ruin my skirt! Do you know how many hours it took to iron and flatten my skirt into perfection until not a single wrinkle was found? TWO HOURS! I will not allow you to mess it up for me!" shouted Crystal, stomping her foot.

"Char, charmander char char! Char char charmander char char?!" _Lady, your skirt is on fire! You're more worried about your skirt than taking out the fire?! _Blaze was dumbfounded. This girl was almost as bad as Javelin, and that was saying ALOT.

"Do either of you know a river or a stream nearby?" Lyfa asked, trying to find a different solution.

Luke gasped and took a Pokeball from his belt. "Oh! I have a Water-Type! Go, Leo!"

A Squirtle popped out of the Pokeball, though he sported a blue bowtie just like his owner. He stood proudly with his hands on his hips, feeling confident...until he saw his owner sister's skirt lit on fire.

"Squirt squirtle?!" _What happened?! _

Blaze groaned, throwing his head back. "Char charmander char...charmander char char?!" _Of all the Water-Types...why did it have to be an Arceus damned Squirtle?! _

Javelin decided to summarize it for Leo the Squirtle. "Spear, spearow spear spear spearow spear!" _Okay, so basically that girl's skirt is on fire and you need to do something about it. _

"W-what should I do now?!" wondered Luke, panicking.

_'Great, he's just as dumb as this cocky-looking Squirtle,' _thought Blaze, resisting the urge to faceplam. He grew mad and frailed his arms. "Char Charmander! Char char charmander! Charmander char char CHAR CHAR!" _My Arceus! Just put the fire out! You've got a Water-Type FOR ARCEUS' SAKE! _

"Please put with fire out with your Squirtle," advised Lyfa calmly.

"O-Oh yeah! Right!" Luke turned to Leo and ordered, "Leo, use Water Gun on Big Sis, please! And hurry!"

Leo nodded and blasted some water from his mouth, drenching Crystal's skirt and extinguishing the fire. Her skirt was a bit burnt and dripping wet, but she was no longer in any danger.

Blaze smirked, rubbing a paw under his chin. "Charmander char char char?" _Is it bad that I want to make a sexual joke right now? _

**SMACK! **Using her wing, Javelin smacked Blaze on the back of his head, looking annoyed. "Spear spear! Spearow spear spear! Spearow spear spear spear!" _How dare you! She is still a lady! I will not tolerate you doing such a thing! _

"Char, char! Char charmander char, char!" _Okay, okay! I was only kidding, Arceus! _

"Ugh! My skirt! It cost me $200 to buy the perfect skirt to go with my outfit!" screeched Crystal. "Now it's all wet and won't be ready for the Contest Performance today!" Glaring at her little brother, who flinched and tried to hide behind Leo, she shouted, "This is all your fault! How could you try and take out the fire with water?!"

Blaze rolled his eyes. "Char charmander char char, char? Charmander charmander char, charmander char char char." _Well, what did you expect, lady? It was either burning the skirt, or taking it out with water._

"I-I'm sorry!" cried out Luke, panicking. "I didn't mean to make you upset! Honest!"

"...Char." _Pussy. _

Before Crystal could continue ranting at her brother, Lyfa stood in front of both Leo and Luke with her arms spread out, intending on defending them while glaring back at Crystal.

"What? Stay out of this! This is private family business!" yelled Crystal, jabbing her finger at Lyfa's nose.

Lyfa shook her head. "...Please don't yell at your brother. You're being rude."

"WHAT?! How dare you refer to me as such a crude thing?!"

Javelin sighed. "Spearow spearow spearow spear spear." _That's probably the closest Lyfa's ever insulted anyone before. _

"I'm sorry for saying that, but please don't yell at your brother. He was only trying to help. I started the fire while training."

Now that got Crystal's attention as her anger was newly directed towards her instead of her brother. "You?! You were the one who caused all of this?! You'll pay!"

Before Crystal could do anything, her brother shouted desperately, "Wait! Wait, please Big Sis! I'm sure she didn't mean to do any harm! Right, Miss?"

Lyfa nodded. "It was a training accident for the Contest Performance. I'm sorry." She bowed her head, but even with her polite gesture and apology, that still didn't calm down the enraged teenager.

Until the key words "Contest Performance" reached her ears.

"Wait...did you say...Contest Performance?" asked Crystal, receiving a nod from Lyfa. Crystal smirked gleefully. "Ha! This is perfect! Alright, since you're going to be a participant, I will personally crush you on stage! Tommorow at noon, when the Contest Performance starts, be there!"

"Okay."

"I'm serious! Don't you dare run away or back off because of me! I'm tough! I'm Ranked 4th in Hoenn's Grand Festival!"

"I don't know what that is but congratulations."

"Wha-?! Are you dense?! The Grand Festival is a major big thing for us Coordinators! If you don't know Hoeen's Grand Festival, I'm betting you don't know anything about Kanto's, either!"

"No, no. I know about Kanto's. When you receive 8 Ribbons in total, you can move towards the Grand Festival, which is like the Pokemon League for Kanto. But congratulations on making it 4th."

"Grrr...! Are you mocking me?! 4th is a very bad choice! 1st is always the best and don't you ever forget it!"

"1st is always the best. I didn't forget it."

"It sounds like you don't care!"

"I really don't."

"GAAAHHH! You're really starting to annoy me!"

"I'm sorry."

"WE'RE LEAVING! Luke, hurry up! We're going shopping!"

_'But that's the 3rd time TODAY!' _Leo and Luke wanted to complain, forcing themselves to follow Crystal as she stopped away in a huff. That left only Lyfa and her two dumbfounded Pokemon, Blaze and Javelin.

Blaze chuckled, looking up at his Mistress. "Char, char. Charmander char char. Charmander char char char." _Wow, Lyfa. I didn't know you had a bit of sass in ya. My opinion of you has changed. _

Not understanding Blaze's Pokemon language, Lyfa took out a few Pecha Berries from her bag and presented them to Blaze. "Are you hungry? Is that what you're trying to say? Here, have some Pecha Berries. I have lots, but they're starting to spoil."

Blaze growled and slapped them away. "CHAR CHAR CHARMANDER! Char char char char charmander CHAR!" _I HATE PECHA BERRIES! They're too sweet and they're too PINK! _

Javelin flapped her wings angrily. "SPEAROW SPEAR SPEAR! Spear spear spear spear! Spear spear!" _HOW DARE YOU?! You are such a spoiled brat! Just eat them! _

"CHARMANDER!" _NEVER! _

Collecting the fallen Berries, a thought crossed over Lyfa's mind. _'Hmm...Blaze doesn't like Pecha Berries...That gives me a good idea.'_

* * *

_The next day, at the Contest Hall... _

**"Ladies and Gentleman! Welcome to the annual Pewter City's Contest Performance! I'm your host, Eileen, and I'll be doing the commentary and announcing! Now, let's get this started, shall we?" **

The large crowd on the stands cheered at the host's announcement, excited to see today's Contest Performance. Each time, the Contest Performances have always been different and interesting with each different Coordinating Performer and their Pokemon. It was always an pleasure witnessing new things with each Contest Performance.

In the waiting room where several other Coordinating Performers gathered, Lyfa was seated in a bench, gripping her bag anxiously. She gulped before taking a deep breath, mentally preparing herself for when it was her turn.

Every Coordinating Performer were given a number as well as what group they were in; all registered in a Contest Pass. Right now, some of them were dressing up their Pokemon or conversing with them, prepping them up for the Contest Performance.

"So, you did make it after all."

Looking up, Lyfa saw Crystal garbing a new lavender gown that appeared soft and silky, yet elegant at the same time. Right besides her was her brother, Luke, though he had no change of clothes and remained the same as he was yesterday.

"Good afternoon, Crystal and Luke," welcomed Lyfa politely, bowing her head.

"Hmph! Good! You should address me and my sweet little brother as such!" said Crystal, acknowledging her politeness. "But I'm glad that you didn't chicken out at the last second for me to crush you! And where is your dress?"

"My...dress...?"

"Oh...Oh my..." Crystal began laughing tauntingly. "Don't tell me that you didn't know you had to dress up! The whole Performance Stage doesn't just reflect on your Pokemon, but yourself as well! Not only do you have to act, but you also have to dress the part, too! Ha! What a dumbie!"

While Crystal was still laughing, Luke panicked, thinking that she upset Lyfa. "H-hey! Big Sis? Maybe you should stop? I mean, she probably didn't know!"

"Didn't know? Ha! She had to! Only an idiot wouldn't know the full details of the Performance Stage!"

"I didn't know. This is my first Contest Performance," replied Lyfa normally.

"..."

"..."

"...You just love making me sound like the bad guy, do you?"

"No."

Before Crystal could say anything, an announcement ripped through their conversation. **"And now, for the next Performance! From Group Water, #3 is up! Luke Flores!" **

"Oh! I'm up!" cried out Luke before running off. "Bye, Big Sis! Lyfa!"

"Bye, my sweet little Lukey!" cooed Crystal, waving happily unlike her hot-tempered demeanor.

"...Can I ask you something?" asked Lyfa.

"What?" Whirling around, Crystal questioned in a rude remark. Ah, there was the egotistic girl she knew and somewhat disliked.

"Yesterday, you began yelling at Luke, wrongfully blaming him for something he never did and-"

"Hold on, hold on, HOLD ON." Crystal interrupted Lyfa and cleared her throat. "First off, I never wrongfully blamed him. I just simply made a small...error. That's all!"

"...I read this in a book before, spoke up Lyfa. "'Most men would rather deny a hard truth than face it.' You're a perfect example of that."

"What?!" Stomping her foot, Crystal's face turned bright red with anger. "How dare you-?!"

**"And here he is! The young Coordinating Performer Prodigy, Luke Fiores, on stage!" **

"EEEEKKK! MY CUTE, SWEET LITTLE BROTHER IS ON STAGE! GET OUTTA THE WAY, PEOPLE!" Forgetting her anger, Crystal shoved other Coordinating Performers aside, ignorning their glares as she gazed at the TV screen with awe in her eyes.

Lyfa, like some others, looked up at a different TV that was attached to the corner of the wall. From the look of things, it seems that Luke was looking confident in himself and was ready to present his own performance. With a high amount of confidence like that, there was no way Luke could be showing any signs of anxiety and timidness anywhere.

* * *

_On the stage... _

_'OH GOD I'M SO NERVOUS! WHAT IF I MESS THINGS UP?! I DON'T WANNA DISAPPOINT BIG SIS BUT THERE ARE SO MANY PEOPLE AND IF I KEEP BEING NERVOUS, MY HEAD'S GONNA EXPLODE!' _thought Luke, wearing a confident grin and bowing his head, causing the crowd to cheer for him.

Deciding to screw it and just go with the flow, Luke took out two Pokeballs from his belt and held them in both palms. However, his two Pokeballs were differently colored, as they were purple with a symbol in front instead of the regular red Pokeballs.

He tossed the two Pokeballs into the air, and much to newcomers' surprise, special effects popped out when his two Pokemon, Leo the Squirtle, and an Growlithe, came out of their Pokeballs.

Colorful wisps of fire surrounded Growline in a ring-like manner as bubbles with stars appeared in the same manner with Leo's case. The bubbles swirled around the wisps of fire and when the two Pokemon landed on the ground, the stars crashed down onto the bubbles and fire, creating a colorful display of sparkles and fireworks.

**"Oh my! What a loud and exciting appearance! The combination of both water and fire-like party tricks merging together with the star display crushing the two like a meteor storm to create outstanding fireworks! Truly, a work of aurora-like art!" **

"Leo! Alexander! Let's work together on this!" cheered Luke, addressing to his Squirtle and Growlithe, who both nodded in unison. "Let's start things off by showing off our powerful moves! Leo, use Bubblebeam! Alexander, use Fire Spin!"

Luke ran up and jumped as high as he could while both his Pokemon fired both Fire Spin and Bubblebeam from their mouths. The swirling vortex of fire harmlessly trapped Luke inside while a swarm of small bubbles surrounded the flames as electricity sparked on the outside of Fire Spin.

**"Incredible! A risky high-leveled tactic that combines both Fire-Type and Water-Type Moves, two opposite elements! Even more, the Trainer himself put himself at risk by entering the center of it all! Truly, this requires hard training, cooperation, and trust between all three of them!" **

"I'm coming down!" announced Luke as he was falling, causing the audience to scream and some of the spectators to stand up from their seats. "Leo, use Surf! Alexander, use Flamethrower!"

Throwing his palms onto the ground, a large wave burst from the ground as Alexander fired a powerful Flamethrower from his mouth. Once the Fire-Type Move hit, steam instantly covered the entire stage, as if fog appeared.

**"Oh my! Is Luke alright?! Well, with this heated mist on the stage, it's hard to tell!" **

"Swift! Bubblebeam!"

Outside of the steam clouds, a vast amount of stars and bubbles circles around the area, changing the audience's attention. The circling commenced until the stars and bubbles popped, causing not only a flurry of sparkles but for the steam to disperse.

And in the middle of the stage was a healthy Luke along with his two Pokemon, Leo the Squirtle and Alexander the Growlithe. Though, all three were drenched along with the stage.

"And we're finished!" announced Luke as he and his two partners bowed their heads in courtesy.

The crowd was silent with shock...until they burst into loud cheers and applause.

**"AMAZING! Tricking all of us into thinking the Trainer was in grave danger, when it was all a marvelous illusion! Truly, a masterful illusional show! Now that all three Coordinating Performers from Group Water have done their job, it's time for you, the audience, to vote! Who'll be the lucky one to proceed to the Random Stage?" **

The three Coordinating Performers of Group Water gathered onto the stage with their Pokemon with hourglasses above their heads. Whoever's hourglass is filled the most has received the most votes and can move onto the 2nd Stage. The audience pressed a button on the small voting machine near their seats and voted for the person they admired.

Once the votes were in, everyone, including the Coordinating Performers, stared at the hourglasses as they began to pile up the votes.

**3rd Place: Samuel Dukin**

**2nd Place: Angelica Nuvelin**

**1st Place: Luke Fiores**

**"IT'S HERE! Luke Fiores is our winner! He gets to proceed to the 2nd Stage!" **

"Uh...Yeah! We did it!" said Luke, faking his enthusiasm. He looked down though, not really feeling like a winner.

* * *

_Back at the waiting room... _

"Well? Impressed?" bragged Crystal with her arms crossed as she looked at Lyfa with confidence. "That's my brother for you! Not only is he sweet, adorable, and cute, but he's also quite skilled! Courtesy from yours truly!"

"...What are those?" wondered Lyfa.

"Huh? What are what? Be more specific!"

"What are those strange Pokeballs? The ones with the stars and colorful fires and all that."

"Ahaha! Don't tell me you don't know a thing about Seals!" laughed Crystal mockingly. "Seals are small stickers attached to Ball Capsules, which are attached to Pokeballs! The Seals are used to make the entrance of Pokemon more attractive and beautiful! You'd have to be an idiot not to use Seals for your Pokemon in the Performance Stage!"

"...Oh. Then, I'm an idiot."

"Of course you-Huh?" Taken aback, Crystal didn't know what to say. Not a lot of people would admit to being an idiot, so this was definitely a shock for her. Flipping her hair to the side, Crystal said, "Hmph. O-Of course you are! I wouldn't expect anything less from you!"

**"Up next is Crystal Fiores, who's #1 in the Flower Group!" **

"Guess it's my turn to shine! Obviously, I'm going to win!" bragged Crystal, happily skipping towards the stage for her turn.

A moment later, Luke returned with a towel at hand. He began ruffling his wet hair with the towel when he spotted Lyfa and ran up to her. "Hello, Miss Lyfa! Did you enjoy my performance?"

Lyfa nodded silently and gave a thumbs-up.

"Great! But...I wish I could have done it my way..." mumbled Luke, turning away for a moment so that Lyfa wouldn't hear him, puzzling her. "Oh, never mind! It's nothing! Forget what I just said! How about we watch Big Sis' performance?"

"Okay."

* * *

_On the stage... _

**"Welcoming back our popular Coordinating Performer, Crystal Fiores, who'll show us yet again another one of her famous performances!" **

"With pleasure!~" sang Crystal, tossing her two Pokeballs lightly. "Now, please welcome my two beautiful and talented Pokemon, Sylvette and Bianca!"

Hearts spread around a Sylveon as she purred and somersaulted in the air before landing gracefully on her own while small clouds with rainbows surrounded a Beautifly. The Beautifly's wings' flapping caused the clouds with rainbows to flutter away and merge with the hearts as the Beautifly flew down onto Crystal's shoulder, causing the two special effects to form into an aurora-like veil that rained down on the stage.

**"Such beauty and elegance! Truly expected from the infamous Crystal Fiores and her elegant style! Let's give it up for the appearance of Sylvette the Sylveon and Bianca the Beautifly!" **

"But, of course!" said Crystal as she took her violin out from a violin case she had been carrying. "Alright, just like we practiced, you two! Sylvette, lift me into the air using your lovely feelers!"

Sylvette purred with a look of confidence as she wrapped her master around the waist using her long feelers, lifting her high in the air as if she was a newborn angel rising into the air. The audience awed and whispered among themselves, wondering what her next move would be.

Crystal closed her eyes momentarily and took a deep breath, letting all her fresh air out before widening her eyes, ready to begin again one of her famous performances.

"Sylvette, use Disarming Voice! Bianca, use Silver Wind!"

Sylvette opened her mouth and shrieked loudly; a beam of pink hearts flying upwards through her singing tone. Bianca's wings flashed white as she flapped them frantically, aiming silver crescent winds at the pink hearts. The pink hearts split once the silver winds slashed through them, but pieces of them formed themselves to create pink musical notes that spread across the air and around the audience.

At that moment, Crystal began playing a violin solo, closing her eyes as she stirred the strings with elegance and skillfull fingers. While the audience was mesmerized by her song, some children tried to catch the pink musical notes, which popped harmlessly like bubbles upon physical contact.

Like the pink musical notes, Bianca flew above the audience and began dancing with the pink musical notes while Sylvette kept her master hovering above the ground, moving her in tempo with the pink musical notes.

**"Incredible! A violin solo from our lovely Coordinating Performer as the hard efforts of both Sylvette and Bianca result in musical notes that fit the mood well! Even both Pokemon are dancing in sync to the wonderful song! Almost as if this performance is for a musical instead!"**

Some point between her song, Crystal stopped for a short rest and, taking this advantage, she ordered, "Sylvette, please release me, and Bianca, use Gust."

Bianca fluttered her wings slightly as Sylvette unwrapped her feelers around Crystal. The strong winds slowly lowered Crystal until her feet planted on the ground without a hint of sound.

"Now, Misty Terrain, my sweet Sylvette! Bianca, shoot out Swift!"

Using her power, Sylvette released a thick, light blue mist from her body, which filled the entire stage and covered it in a blue fog, hiding both Sylvette and Crystal as the human girl began part of her solo once more.

Bianca flapped her special wings again as stars burst out and shot above the air, acting like shooting stars which landed on the other side of the stage, not hitting anyone luckily.

**"A mysterious blue mist enveloping both Trainer and Sylvette while Bianca uses her Swift to shoot out shooting stars to fit the scenery...Truly a mysterious sight with a sense of nostalgia, especially with the background music Miss Crystal is performing!" **

Sylvette popped out of the mist, causing the audience to applaud for her appearance. Like they practice, Bianca flew down and swooped Sylvette off the floor and high into the air. Bianca closed her eyes and concentrated on her Morning Sun, causing her body to glow white as Sylvette used Fairy Wind, twirling her feelers in front of herself to cast a strong gust of sparkling wind, allowing the audience to feel a taste of her beautiful wind.

**"Beautiful! The Fusion Moves of both Bianca and Sylvette made them act as one, like they were an angel! A...A Pokemon angel!"**

The combination of both Moves were enough to cast aside Misty Terrain, revealing Crystal as she finished the last, powerful notes of her solo. Once finished, both her Pokemon joined her as she bowed her head, lifting her gown slightly to gesture that the performance was over.

The audience screamed with excitement and were so impressed that many of them stood from their seats and began applauding. Many fangirls and fanboys screamed out Crystal's name, requesting for an encore as Crystal and her Pokemon left the stage.

* * *

_Back at the waiting room... _

Lyfa was more than impressed at Crystal's performance; she was awe-struck and grew a new admiration and respect for Crystal. That was perhaps one of the best performances she was going to witness. At the same time, Lyfa was doubting herself since at her level, there was no way she could be like Crystal, but that didn't mean she was going to give up.

Noticing that Luke wasn't saying anything and was lost in thoughts, Lyfa patted his shoulder. "...Is something wrong?"

"H-huh? No, no!" Luke shook his head and smiled. "I'm fine! I was just...stunned about my Big Sis' performance! That's all! It was so beautiful that I...I couldn't find any words to describe it! Yeah!"

Feeling that Luke was acting a bit suspicious, Lyfa was about to question him once more when Crystal and her Pokemon proudly entered the waiting room.

"Did you see that, my sweet Luke? Your performance was high-rank, but mine was top notch! Perhaps you should take this as a chance to improve your skills!" bragged Crystal as her Bianca hid behind Crystal's neck.

"S-sure! Yeah, Big Sis!" agreed Luke, sounding a bit hesitant.

"How was it...girl?" asked Crystal.

"My name is Lyfa."

"Fine. How was my performance, _Lyfa_?"

"It was good."

"Good? Good?! Not great, fantastic, high-class, or any such compliments?!" exclaimed Crystal, expecting some sort of praise from her.

Lyfa nodded and held up one finger. "Ah. Yes. It was great, fantastic, high-class, and good."

"Don't repeat everything I say!"

"Hmm? But...I am telling the truth."

**"Next is #2 of the Flower Group! Give it up for Lyfa Green!" **

"Oh? You're in the same group as me? How convenient! I'll be able to enjoy my victory even more, then! Hahahaha!" crackled Crystal.

"Enjoy your victory," welcomed Lyfa, bowing her head before leaving to perform, shocking Crystal.

"Wha...What's that supposed to mean?! Are you being sarcastic?! UGH!"

_'This is the first time I've seen anyone make Big Sis angry and annoyed...and actually get away with it,' _thought Luke, shivering as Bianca flew over and hid behind Luke while Sylvette glared at Lyfa along with her master.

* * *

_On the stage... _

**"Now, let's get started with the next performance! Please note that Lyfa is a beginning Coordinating Performer, so let's cheer her on as she does her best in the Performance Stage!" **

Many people applauded for her as she entered the stage with just two regular Pokeballs; no Seals or Ball Capsules attached. Lyfa took a deep breath and let it all out as she focused on the task before her; appealing the audience enough to go to the next Stage. Although it was no easy task, she was still going to do her best.

"Okay, Blaze! Javelin! Spotlight!" commanded Lyfa, throwing her two Pokeballs as high as she could.

Instead of any special effects, only a bright white light happened to be their appear as Blaze and Javelin popped out, ready to begin the performance while murmurs occured all across the audience.

**"Uh-oh! Looks like beginner Lyfa didn't prepare any Seals! How will her performance help bring a comeback?" **

"Alright, just like we practiced! Javelin, please grab ahold of Blaze!"

"Spear! Spear spear spear spearow spearow spear!" _Finally! Today is the day that I show my magnificent skills! _Swooping down, Javelin's talons held onto Blaze's shoulders before she took off, circling all over the audience. She began doing acrobatic tricks, twirling and swirling around, going up and down, and other air dances she could think of. Not onlu did she get a chance to show herself off, but Blaze was also getting dizzy, which was amusing to her.

**"Look at the Spearow's aerial tricks! Such skill, especially when carrying another Pokemon!"**

"Char...Char...Charmander char char, char?" _Damn...you...You're doing this on purpose, aren't you? _Blaze was trying to resist the urge to throw up as he grew more and more dizzy.

"Spear! Spearow spear spear! Spearow spear spear spear!" _Ah! How dare you! I don't have a single idea what you're talking about! _The smirk on the female Spearow's face spoke otherwise.

"Come back and drop Blaze to me, Javelin!" ordered Lyfa, her arms spread.

Seeing the high distance between his current position in the air and in the floor below, all Blaze could say was one thing before he was dropped.

"...Char." _...Fuck. _

"Now use Ember!" yelled Lyfa, trying to make herself louder than Blaze's shrill screams.

Desperately clawing at the air and trying to soften his landing, Blaze aimed downwards and fired a small stream of fire from his mouth, creating a circle of fire around Lyfa as she twirled around, trying to dance to the flames surrounding her. Luckily, the stage was fully fireproof, so the flames wouldn't spread anywhere else and would die out eventually.

Lyfa caught Blaze in her arms right after he cast Ember as they were still surrounded by a ring of fire. Noticing the flames slowly fading away, Lyfa ordered, "Javelin, use a powerful Gust!"

Hovering high above the both of them, Javelin trilled out a cry before unleashing strong winds by a single flap of her wings. The strong winds affected even the audience as they were holding onto their belongings so that they don't get blown away. The winds were more than strong enough to wipe out the flames surrounding Lyfa and Blaze.

**"A powerful Move! Strong enough to reach even the audience! What'll happen now?!" **

"This is it!" proclaimed Lyfa, tossing Blaze to the air with all her might, causing him to reach higher than Javelin. After digging around her bag as fast as she could, Lyfa took out a lot of Pecha Berries she could possibly carry in her hands before throwing them up. "Blaze, Ember! Javelin, use Gust afterwards!"

"CHAR! Char charmander char!" _FINALLY! I hate Pecha Berries! _Without the slightest bit of hesitation, Blaze unleashed his rage in the form of multiple fireballs, all directly hitting the Pecha Berries and turning them from regular, pink berries, to darkened, tasteless berries that were burning up.

Finding that to be her cue, Javelin flapped her wings and caused the direction of the burning berries to shift, turning them towards the stage grounds. From the acceleration of the winds, the burnt berries crashed down onto the ground like a meteor storm.

**"Such power! Twisting the situation, the combination from all three of them resulted in a fascinating meteor shower of fire!" **

Extending her arm, Lyfa allowed Javelin to land elegantly onto her arm as Blaze landed next to her, striking a pose. "Finished!" she declared loudly.

The crowd cheered and applauded for the performance Lyfa and her Pokemon placed their hard work onto as they bowed and left the stage.

* * *

_Back in the waiting room... _

"Miss Lyfa! Miss Lyfa!" cried out Luke as Lyfa and her Pokemon met up with him and his sister in the waiting room. "Your performance! Your performance! It was-"

_"Terrible. Awful. Brutal. Ugly." _

Those cruel words came from Crystal herself, who paid attention to her nails and didn't bother batting an eye at Lyfa. She didn't seem impressed by her performance at all, as she had a bored expression.

"B-Big Sis! Why did you say that? I though her performance was-"

"Please! You called that a performance? I called it a joke!" taunted Crystal. "There were so many flaws in that that...I don't even know where to begin!"

Javelin and Blaze, who were stunned by Crystal's harsh words, got angry and started to protest. "Spear spear spearow! Spearow SPEAROW! Spear spearow spear spear spear!" _How dare you! I was ELEGANT! There wasn't a single flaw in any of my Moves at all! _

"Char, CHARMANDER CHAR CHAR!" _Hey, FUCK YOU LADY! _Blaze jumped up and down, trying to get her attention while insulting her.

Sylvette and Bianca popped out behind Crystal and began defending their master. "Sylv! Sylveon syl syl sylveon syl syl syl!" _Hey! Don't you dare insult my Crystal that way! _

"B-Beautifly...Beautifly beauti, beau beautifly beautifly..." _P-please...I know Master can be mean, but she's kind and considerate as well... _But even Bianca the Beautifly was uncertain about her own words as she spoke shyly.

"Big Sis...Even if you don't think so, I still think Lyfa tried her best," defended Luke as Lyfa's expression was unreadable due to her hat covering her eyes as she clenched her fists.

"Pfft! If that's all she's got, then there's no way she'll last long in the Coordinating Performances! She should quit while she's ahead," scoffed Crystal, not wanting to continue anymore of the pointless argument.

"Big Sis, she's only a beginne-"

"That's no excuse in my book! Remember in our family's motto? 'Failure is not an option.'"

"I-I...I know that, but still..."

"But nothing!" Turning to Lyfa, Crystal pointed to her and smirked. "You should feel ashamed of yourself for such a Arceus-awful performance!"

"Okay, I feel ashamed of myself for such a Arceus-awful performance."

"Stop-agreeing with me with everything I say!" yelled Crystal, irritated as she stomped her foot. "Do you really feel ashamed?!"

"Not really, to be honest."

"I-huh?" Confused, Crystal looked at Lyfa for an explanation.

Glaring straight at Crystal with no menace but with determination, Lyfa said, "Grandma always says, 'If you meet those that insult you, ignore them because they are bad people who don't know any better.' You...You're a bad person, Crystal. So, I'm ignoring your insults. I think my performance was good."

"W-what?!" Placing a hand on her chest, Crystal stepped back. "You think I'm a bad person?! Me?! How dare you!"

Before Crystal could antagonize and insult Lyfa even more, Blaze and Javelin stepped in front of Lyfa, defending her and preparing to use their Moves on her. Gritting her teeth, Crystal did not want her hairstyle to be blown up or for her dress to be burnt, so she turned around in frustration.

**"Alright! We're ready to begin the results of the 1st stage for Group Flower! Those three participants, please come forward onto the stage! We will begin shortly!" **announced the host, Eileen.

"Good luck!" cheered Luke.

"Awwww! My cute, adorable brother is cheering me on! Here's a little hug from yours truly!" awed Crystal, bending down and embracing her brother. In reality, Luke gave a thumbs-up to Lyfa and her team, who nodded and felt a bit better about themselves.

* * *

_On the stage... _

Present on stage was the host along with the three Coordinating Performers on Group Flower. The audience murmured amongst each other and cheered for the Coordinating Performers, wondering which one was going to proceed to the next stage.

**"Just like before, folks! Cast your votes on which performance you thought was amazing! Ready? And...begin!" **

The hourglasses above the Coordinating Performances appeared as the audience began casting their votes, deciding which performance was ideal for each one of them. Crystal stood with confidence, another girl appeared nervous, and Lyfa closed her eyes and held her hands in a prayer-like manner, hoping for a good response.

**"And the votes are in! Wow! A lucky someone has managed to gain a lot of points combined compared to the other two! And here are the results!" **

Twisting around, the three girls looked up to see how many votes they received in their own hourglass.

**3rd Place: Lyfa Green**

**2nd Place: Solano Verficant**

**1st Place: Crystal Fiores **

**"And there we have it! Our annual winner of the 1st Stage, Crystal Fiores!" **

"But of course!" bragged Crystal as the audience chanted her name and applauded loudly.

"CRYSTAL! CRYSTAL! CRYSTAL!"

The other Coordinating Performer, Solano, looked disappointed, but faked a smile as she waved to the audience. Lyfa, however, was shocked. She knew deep down she wouldn't win, but to have such a low amount of votes like that...?

Looking over to Lyfa, Crystal snickered. "Wow, what a let down. Having such scores like that would make you want to quit, huh? Well, you should! Ahahaha!"

Never before has Lyfa wanted to scratch at Crystal's face, or maybe let out her Blaze and allow him to burn Crystal to a crisp. But no, she had more restraint than that. Instead, she just ran out of the stage in tears.

* * *

_In the waiting room... _

Blaze, Silica, and Javelin, who were let out of their Pokeballs, were standing in front of the Girls' Bathroom, listening to the weeping sobs from their owner and feeling a sprang of guilt. They felt helpless, wishing that they could help her out even more, but couldn't.

"Cater...Caterpie caterpie pie?" _Hey...what happened back there? _Silica wondered, turning to Blaze and Javelin since they were the only ones used for the performance.

"Spear...Spearow spearow spearow spearow, spearow spear spearow spearow spear spear." _Well...him and my elegant self were performing perfectly, when he fooled around and everyone noticed. _Javelin was now casting the blame onto Blaze.

That infuriated Blaze. "CHAR?! Charmander char char char char char charmander char char!" _What?! You were the one focusing on yourself to miss the cue! _

Then, the bathroom door opened, revealing a red-eyed Lyfa with tear streaks on her cheeks. She wiped them away and tried to smile for her team, patting each of them in the head.

Silica approached her owner and nuzzled her in the feet. "Caterpie...Caterpie pie pie?" _Lyfa...are you alright? _

Lyfa nodded and assured her Pokemon, "Don't worry. I'm okay. There's nothing to worry about. It's my fault that the performance didn't impress the audience. I'm sorry."

But, the three Pokemon knew that wasn't true. Their owner really tried with all her heart into the performance, but it might have been Blaze and Javelin who screwed things up, given that they were hostile towards each other.

One of the doors to the waiting room opened, and a young boy wearing a blue mask and a blue cape appeared. Luckily, nobody was around except for him, Lyfa, and her Pokemon, so they were alright.

"Excuse me! Are you Lyfa Green?" asked the masked boy.

Lyfa nodded while her Pokemon stood by in case the masked boy tried to pull something. "Yes. How may I help you?"

"I have a package for you!" From his cape, the masked boy handed a boxed package over to Lyfa, who gratefully took it. "Oh! I forgot to introduce myself! Ally to justice! Defender against bullies! I am Masquerade!"

Lyfa opened the package, revealing to have a few differently colored Ball Capsules with a few Seals. "Thank you, Masquerade. But why did you give this to me?"

"Er...That's a secret!" said Masquerade. "Now, I have to be off in time to witness Big Si-Crystal's Ribbon Ceremony!"

"Ribbon Ceremony?" Glancing at the TV screen, Lyfa saw the winner of the entire Contest Performance; Crystal.

**"Congratulations! For all your hard work, you're presented with the Pewter City Ribbon! ...For the 8th time,"** spoke Eileen, handing an orange-colored ribbon over to Crystal.

"8th time?" wondered Lyfa.

Masquerade nodded. "Yes. Big-Er, Crystal tends to have a habit, I heard. She wishes to collect the same Ribbon 8 times since there are 8 Contest Performances. She wishes to have a perfect record, or so the rumors say. It's possible she'll aim for the next Ribbon to get the exact same 8 Ribbons and-oh, crap! I have to get going! Bye, Miss Lyfa!"

Once Masquerade left for a secure location, he began removing his costume and putting his fancy suit on, relieved as he started to enter the stage to greet Crystal; his big sister.

_'That was a close call!' _thought Luke as Crystal rushed over to hug her brother. _'But, I did what I came to do! Hopefully, Lyfa will improve harder than before with the things I've given her! Maybe Big Sis won't notice the lack of Ball Capsules and Seals I have! Then again, I can always buy more at the Poke Mart.' _

Lyfa sealed the package given to her before turning to her Pokemon, smiling generously. "Come on. How about we eat something and start training? Tommorow, we'll be having our first Gym Battle, so we need to be prepared."

Blaze, Javelin, and Silica cheered before they were sent back to their Pokeballs as Lyfa left with some newfound determination and a lesson learned from her Contest Performance loss.

* * *

**Finished at long last! Read and review!**


	9. Pewter City's Gym Battle! Rock-Solid!

**Enjoyed last chapter? Then, you're gonna love this!**

**Disclaimer: Mage of Hope doesn't own Pokemon, only the OCs. Pokemon Company owns all Pokemon. **

* * *

**CRASH! BOOM! SWOOSH! FLOOSH! **

"Stop, both of you!" cried out Lyfa, trying to stop both Javelin and Blaze from fighting amongst each other once again. Silica cowered behind Lyfa's feet, too terrified to come out.

Javelin was in mid-air, glaring down at Blaze, who stared up at her with menacing eyes. The two clearly had signs of injuries, given that they were fighting each other physically and explaining the mess around the area they were in. In Pewter City, they were in an open field near a park, and luckily, nobody else was there besides them, but there were lots of burnt areas and some fallen trees.

"Spear spearow spearow spear spear spear spearow! Spearow spearow spearow spear SPEAR spearow spearow!" _I can't believe you would use Ember on me while I was practicing my air dances! I was looking elegant as usual until YOU came along! _Clearly, Javelin wasn't too happy with Blaze, especially when she had a small burnt mark on her back along with some of her feathers.

Blaze retorted and tried to defend himself. "Char? CHAR charmander charmander char char char! Char charmander char char char char!" _Me? YOU were the one getting in my way! I was busy honing my own battling skills! _

Lyfa honestly thought things were going to get better for the two of them if they spent more time, but obviously, things just turned for the worst. Seeing Silica too frightened to move, Lyfa knew she had to make a stand.

"That's enough, both of you!" hollered Lyfa, making her tone sharp and serious as much as possible.

That definitely had a huge impact on both Blaze and Javelin, as they've never heard her use such a tone and flinched in response, making them forget what they were fighting over in the first place. Silica squeaked and wished to be buried under the dirt.

"I really don't know why the two of you are upset and what's going on, but this isn't helping ANYONE! Instead of arguing with each other, we should talk and resolve our problems!" continued Lyfa, noticing the influence she had with the two. "If you don't stop, then I'll...I'll...take away all eating privileges from you two for one week!"

Blaze and Javelin's jaws dropped before they began crying out and practivally pleading to Lyfa since her cooking is delicious, especially since she adds flavor to their Pokemon food. A week, no, a _day _without her cooking was pretty much them asking for garbage! Well, they could both agree they love her cooking at the very least.

Gliding down to the ground, Javelin approached Blaze and offered her wing as if offering a handshake. Realizing the gesture, Blaze forced himself to shake her wing, granting a nod of approval from Lyfa. However, their thoughts contrast their own actions.

_'Hothead,' _thought Javelin, wanting to shred Blaze using the power of her majestic and powerful winds.

_'Spearhead,' _Blaze thought, fighting the urge to burn her alive.

Silica simply stared at them; full of fear and worry. She knew deep down that if the two of them continued arguing amongst themselves, then something bad would surely happen, no doubt. Yet, even though she knew this, she was too afraid to stand up for what was right.

Hopefully, tommorow when their Pokemon Gym battle comes, there's a chance that they'll cooperate.

* * *

_The next day... _

Glaring at the Gym doors in front of her, Lyfa took a deep breath and tried to relax herself. This was just another battle, just like all those other Trainers she's fought and defeated before with the help of all three of her Pokemon. This one wasn't any different, except the Gym Leader is more stronger than any of the Trainers she defeated.

Tightening her grip on the door handles, Lyfa forced them open before entering cautiously. Inside was like a huge arena field, vacant with rocks scattered around the field and to the sides of the field were stands intended for any audience who wished to witness the Gym Battles.

And in the middle of it all was a tall, mature-looking man who was no doubt the Gym Leader.

"You there! Are you here for a Gym Badge?" the man asked; his loud voice echoing throughout the empty Gym. Even Lyfa was taken aback by how booming his voice was.

Lyfa clutched her hands together and nodded, trying not to show how nervous she was, yet her shaking hands were giving it away. "Y-yes..."

"Hmm? Pardon me, but I couldn't hear you."

Gulping down breath, Lyfa yelled louder, "YES! I'M HERE TO BATTLE THE GYM LEADER! PLEASE LET ME BATTLE!"

The entire Gym fell silent after her outburst; a pebble fell from one of the rocks and echoed throughout the field. Lyfa's face went from pink to red as she covered her mouth, thinking she might have offended the man.

Instead, he laughed not to insult, but out of interest. "Haha! An enthusiastic one, aren't you? Very well! It's my duty as a Gym Leader to accept any and all challengers aiming for the Boulder Badge! My name is Brock, and I'm Pewter's Gym Leader!"

"...I heard you specialize in Rock-Type Pokemon. Is that true?" spoke up Lyfa.

"That's right! My Pokemon are all Rock-Types! Tell me, how many Gym Badges do you have?"

Puzzled by his question a little, Lyfa shook her head before Brock silently acknowledged her answer.

"I see...None, huh? Very well! What's your name?"

"My name is Lyfa Green, sir. It's a pleasure to meet you," spoke Lyfa, bowing her head respectfully.

"Alright. The referee will explain the rules of a Gym Battle to you," informed Brock before turning to a young man in a green hoodie, who nodded and waved to Lyfa as he made his way out of the field lines.

"Hello! I'm the referee of the Gym Battle! It's my duty to watch over Pokemon Gym Battles and make sure nobody's cheating!" the referee explained. "Before I can explain things further, I'd like both Trainers to step outside of the line and prepare themselves for the Gym Battle."

Brock and Lyfa nodded in agreement before doing as the referee requested, facing off each other in a far distance so neither of them could get hurt before the battle could commence.

"Good! Now, let me explain more to the challenger. Because you are a beginner, the Gym Leader will only use low-leveled Pokemon. But, if you have more Badges, the Gym Leader will use considerably more, powerful Pokemon. Brock, what sort of battle do you want this time?"

"Hmm..." Thinking for a moment, Brock said, "I'd like to go with a 2-2 Pokemon battle."

"Then, it's settled! This will be a 2-2 Pokemon Gym Battle! Only the challenger will be able to swap Pokemon during battle! Each Trainer will use only two Pokemon! For example, if you had two Magikarps, you cannot switch one Magikarp for a Bulbasaur. You must keep them the way they are! Are both challengers ready? And...BEGIN!"

"Geodude, I choose you!" shouted Brock, throwing his Pokeball forward. Geodude popped out of its Pokeball, prepared to face off another Pokemon, having been used to Gym Battles before.

Crossing her arms, Lyfa pondered on which Pokemon to use. All of her Pokemon was essentially weak against Rock-Types, putting her in a difficult situation. However, the referee did allow her the use of switching her Pokemon, so if the situation got out of hand, then she can switch out for a healthy Pokemon, but she was allowed only two.

For example, if she chose both her Javelin and Silica to battle, she couldn't use Blaze for the remainder of the battle. Well, it's not like his type disadvantage would help her out, either way. In fact, none of her Pokemon's type disadvantage would help at all.

But she already accepted the challenge, so there was no going back. Therefore, she decided on which Pokemon would participate in this Gym Battle, and since she has a clear disadvantage, she'll have to try extra hard to win!

"Go, Blaze!"

Her hotheaded Fire-Type Charmander shot out of the Pokeball with the flame on his tail increasing a bit in size due to the excitement he was getting; being the first chosen to participate in his first ever Gym Battle.

"Oh? What's this?" questioned Brock, surprised. "You do realize that Fire-Types are weak against my Rock-Types, right?"

Smoke fumed from Blaze's nostrils as he was unintentionally being insulted. Lyfa nodded to Brock's response and said, "I know. To be honest, I don't have a single Pokemon that has a type advantage over yours. But...I won't give up! I'll take on your Rock-Types!"

"Hmm...You're going to challenge me, knowing that you'll lose?" wondered Brock before smirking. "That's the Trainer's honor that compels you to challenge me, isn't it? Fine, then! Show me your best!"

"Blaze! Use Ember!" ordered Lyfa, taking the initiative.

"Geodude, defend with Defense Curl!" shouted Brock.

Grinning, Blaze fired bolts of fire from his mouth; all heading straight for Geodude. Geodude quickly curled into a ball, strengthening his defenses before the fireball assault occured. As a result, only very little damage was inflicted at him, though the damage may as well be non-existent due to Geodude being nearly immune to Fire-Type Moves and his increased defense.

"Char! Charmander char!" _Damn! He's tough! _Blaze wiped his mouth with one paw before taking a fighting stance in case Geodude tried something.

Lyfa bit her lower lip and tried to come up with a new strategy. _'Okay, that was good, but not good enough. Defense Curl must be some sort of defensive Move. I don't think Geodude was too injured by that, and I think it's dangerous to try close range. Should I wait and see what Brock'll pull next?' _

Noticing that Lyfa wasn't commanding her Charmander to do anything else, Brock called out, "What's wrong? If you're not going to attack, then I will! Geodude, Take Down!"

Still curled up, Geodude rolled around and charged towards Blaze at such an amazing speed.

"Ah! Jump, quick!" shouted Lyfa frantically.

In a hurry, Blaze leapt over the rolling rock of fury, sighing in relief afterwards. However, Geodude easily changed directions and turned around, hitting Blaze from behind in a hard and fast impact. Blaze flew into the air before crashing onto the ground on his back, grunting in pain.

_'Arceus damned! That hurt! Ugh...it feels like my back just broke all my bones!' _thought Blaze, finding it a bit difficult to stand up. His body was certainly damaged from the heavy blow he suffered, but that never caused his fighting spirit to waver.

"Good job, Geodude!" praised Brock as Geodude ceased rolling around and was back on standby, maintaining his defensive position from before.

Lyfa struggled to think of a counterattack and thought that good offense would require a good defense. "Blaze, we can't exactly deal too much damage, but that doesn't mean we can't reduce the damage! Use Growl!"

Understanding her intention, Blaze screamed as loud as he could; his scream echoing off the walls of the Gym and causing all humans to cover their ears. This continued until Blaze was out of breath, which he needed to rest a bit.

"I...I see...! So, since you couldn't attack much, you decided that the best option was to reduce Geodude's attack power as much as you could!" said Brock. "Clever, but that doesn't mean we won't counter! Geodude, stay there and keep using Defense Curl!"

Curling up, Geodude's rock-like body glowed white as his defense started increasing towards its maximum point. Recovering his breath, Blaze glanced back at Lyfa, waiting for her command to attack.

_'If I don't attack back, then all damage must be nullified in the future! This is my chance!' _thought Lyfa. "Blaze, jump on top of Geodude!"

"What?!" exclaimed Brock as Blaze complied and landed on top of the glowing Geodude. Geodude couldn't do anything but wait for his master's command, but felt confident in himself since nothing could penetrate his defense.

"Now, keep jumping up and down on top of Geodude, but shoot out Ember on top of him continuously!"

Realizing Lyfa's plan, Blaze smirked before hopping up and down, shooting himself more into the air the more he unleashed Ember. While the fireballs inflicted little damage, the heat from the increasing amounts of fire proved to be overwhelming even for Geodude, especially since he was so close to the heat. As evidence, droplets of sweat was shown all over the Rock Pokemon's body.

"Geodude! Get away using Rollout!"

Just when Blaze was about to land on top of the rock-like Pokemon, Geodude rolled away in time, causing the Charmander to land flat on his butt and cry out in pain. Blaze grumbled to himself as he watched Geodude rolling around the rocky area in such high speeds.

"Alright, Blaze, use Scratch on the ground!" ordered Lyfa, wanting to use the same strategy she used when she first faced off against Gary.

Remembering the strategy, Blaze's claws lit up before he began attacking the ground, digging up tons of sand and dirt to cover the field. However, that meant both Brock and Lyfa, along with their battling Pokemon, couldn't see the field, making it difficult to attack if they couldn't see anything.

Geodude stopped rolling, checking out his surroundings as the sand began to clear up. Spotting the small, faint silhouette of Geodude, Lyfa shouted, "Blaze, when you see Geodude, get on top of him again!"

Brock, having heard her, prepared himself for her Ember strategy. They knew full well that Brock has a counterattack for her strategy, so why was Lyfa attempting this again? Unless she's run out of options?

Blaze was the first to spot his opponent's Pokemon and quick to leap on top of him just as the dust clouds vanished; bringing the field more of a clearing.

"Hurry, Geodude! Use Rollout!"

"As I thought! Blaze, run while on top of Geodude! Don't fall off!"

Geodude went back to curling and began rolling around like before, but this time, Blaze ran as fast as his legs could carry him, trying to make sure he didn't fall off just as his owner instructed him.

"Get Charmander off! Hurry!" ordered Brock. Geodude rolled faster, but Blaze ran faster as a result, keeping up with his speed.

"CHAR CHARMANDER CHAR!" _NOT MY DAY! _Blaze waved his arms while trying to keep a steady pace on top of the rolling, speedy Geodude. With fierce determination to win over a Rock-Type, Blaze used all of his strength to increase his speed tenfold, causing him to control Geodude's rolling since his speed now surpassed Geodude's. Also, the fact that Blaze is fooling around with Geodude as he's rolling around aimlessly and randomly around the field.

"Yes! Geodude's our! Blaze, send him to the wall and jump off before the impact!" said Lyfa.

Blaze turned his attention to the _stone hard, rocky, steel-like _wall with a Sharpedo-like grin as an evil glint appeared in his eyes. Letting out a battle cry, Blaze rushed forward with his rolling ball of Geodude, charging towards the wall with everything he's got. At the last second, Blaze leapt off and somersaulted in the air once before firing Ember without Lyfa's command, using the firepower to boost Geodude's speed towards the wall.

**CRASH! **Geodude crashed head-on with full power and speed at the wall, causing large cracks around the area it crashed in. Judging from its swirly eyes and its groaning as well as its unmovable body, everyone can assume that Geodude was down for the count.

"Geodude is unable to battle! Charmander wins!" announced the referee.

Brock sent his fainted Geodude back to his Pokeball. "You did good, Geodude. It was my fault. I should have kept you at defense instead of landing at offense. So, get a good rest."

Blaze returned to Lyfa's side of the field; injured, but still pumping with power. Lyfa bent down and smiled. "Blaze, you did a good job. Are you ready? The next one is going to be more tough."

"Char char! Charmander char!" _Don't worry! I'm strong enough! _Placing his paws on his hips, Blaze puffed his chest out with pride as he turned to face his final opponent.

"Onix, it's all up to you!" said Brock, sending out his toughest and final Pokemon out onto the field.

With a body of a giant chain of boulders up until the tail, Onix appeared tough and not one foe to easily defeat. With a rocky spine on its head, Onix also had a scar across its face, though it didn't seem to care as it roared, slamming its tail onto the ground.

Lyfa took out her Pokedex, wanting to gather knowledge onto the creature known as Onix.

**"Onix, the Rock Snake Pokemon. A dual-type Rock/Ground Pokemon that usually lives and travels underground, causing rumbling and tremors and can move at 50 mph. As it grows, the stone portions of its body harden to become similar to a diamon, but colored black." **

"Another Rock-Type?! Not only that, but a Ground-Type, too?!" grunted Lyfa. Geodude was bad enough, and now a gigantic snake-like Rock Pokemon has appeared? She knew this wasn't going to end well.

"I told you before, didn't I? My specialty is Rock-Types!" reminded Brock.

"Blaze, be careful! Stay your distance and use Ember!" shouted Lyfa, worried for Blaze.

Blaze grunted, but complied as he unleashed fireballs; all hitting Onix in the face. Like before, none were very effective against Rock-Types, so Onix wasn't even fazed by the fireball assault.

"Now it's our turn! Use Rock Throw!" yelled Brock.

Slamming its tail against the ground, several rocks flew up from the mess caused by Onix. Swiftly, Onix wrapped the rocks around with its tail before chucking them towards Blaze.

"Dodge, now!" cried out Lyfa frantically, thinking the rocks might crush Blaze.

Blaze ran around the field; jumping, ducking, or tackling to the ground in an effort to dodge the rocks. Getting up, Blaze thought the chaos was over...until he was slammed by a boulder and flew several feet into the air before falling down.

"Blaze! Are you okay?!"

Before Lyfa could rush over to Blaze, Brock hollered, "STOP! You can't cross the line! If you do, then you're disqualifying yourself! Do you want that to happen? Are you sure you want to put your own Pokemon's efforts to waste?"

Lyfa gritted her teeth, wanting to yell at Brock for being insensitive. Can he not see what Blaze needed her help? But before she could move, she saw Blaze getting up with injuries coated all over his body.

"Impressive. Not a lot of Pokemon get up after being hit by Onix's Rock Throw like that," admitted Brock.

Lyfa pondered on what her next move should be when she remembered that she was allowed to switch. If that's the case, then she should send out either Javelin or Silica even though the two has type disadvantages. Even so, there should be enough time for Blaze to rest up a bit.

"Blaze, return!" said Lyfa, forcing her injured Charmander to return to his Pokeball for some rest. The last glimpse she saw of him was his shocked look before he disappeared inside the Pokeball. "Go, Silica!"

Once Silica popped out of her Pokeball, ready to fight in her first Gym Battle, she squeaked and hid behind Lyfa's leg, frightened by the huge size of Onix and its frightening glare straight at her. It was almost as if it was seeking her soul.

"The challenger has switched out her Pokemon for Caterpie!" announced the referee.

Kneeling down in front of the Caterpie, Lyfa smiled sadly. "It's okay...Just follow my voice and close your eyes. Can you do that, Silica?"

Silica looked up and nodded nervously before entering the battlefield, trembling like a leaf in front of Onix. No! She refused to close her eyes in front of the scary, rock snake Pokemon! Even if he's bigger, tougher, and scarier than her, Silica mentally made a promise to herself that she would support Lyfa and help her no matter what happens! Plus, this might be her chance to build up her courage!

"On onix nix, onix." _Do not be afraid, little one. _

"Cat?" _What? _Looking up at her foe, Silica was surprised to hear Onix attempting to converse with her. Usually, big foes like him would gloat about how strong they are or look down on puny, little Pokemon like herself. She should know, having lived in a forest where everything was survival of the fittest.

Onix leaned a bit forward, though not too much to intimidate her. "Onix on on on, onix onix onix nix. Onix, onix nix nix onix onix. Onix onix onix." _To be honest, I won't be able to hold back in a Gym Battle. However, I can tell you not to hold back. Do you best till the end. _

Finding him friendly since he's friendly, Silica nodded happily. "Cat! Caterpie pie!" _Okay! Thank you! _

"Ready, Silica?" called Lyfa. "Silica, move around and use String Shot!"

Silica purred before curling around as fast as she could, firing String Shot from everywhere she went, causing the walls and ground to become sticky with her silk. Of course, Onix was caught up in the silk, being tangled and trapped in several different directions, thus slowing down his movements.

"Good job, Silica! Now-huh?" Before Lyfa could recall her Caterpie in order to give Blaze a chance to attack, Onix thrashed around a bit, breaking several strands of string in mere seconds. The more he struggled, the more the strings were loosening and breaking free.

"I know you're trying to slow down Onix, but it's no use! Onix possesses both high strength and defense!" said Brock confidently. "A couple of strings won't stop it!"

"Silica, continue using String Shot!" ordered Lyfa. Silica blasted more of her string and tried covering Onix head-to-toe with the strings she produced from her mouth. Even so, she had a limited amount of string and breath, so by the time she was out of breath, Onix was more covered up and tied up by more string than before.

"Onix, break free as much as you can using Rock Polish, and when you see an opportunity, use Slam!" ordered Brock.

Eyes widening and focused, Onix's body sparked with blue electricity as he struggled faster, detaching more threads of silk. His tail was the first to be completely void of any strings attached, so he swung his tail as hard and fast as he could, slamming Silica head on.

Silica cried out and was thrown into the air before crashing down. The force of the Slam Move proved too much for her, as evident of her fainting after falling to the ground.

"Caterpie is unable to battle! Onix wins!" announced the referee.

"Silica!" gasped Lyfa, quickly withdrawing her right back inside her Pokeball. Cradling Silica's Pokeball in her hands, Lyfa rubbed it smoothly to comfort Silica before placing her back in her bag. Taking out Blaze's Pokeball, she threw it and caused Blaze to come out.

Even though Blaze had already rested inside his Pokeball, he hasn't completely recovered from his harsh injuries as evident from seeing the bruises all over his body. He was breathing heavily, though he was surprised to see Onix and the rest of the battlefield filled with threads of String Shot.

Lyfa spoke up, "Blaze? I'm sorry that you have to fight again, but just one more opponent to go."

"...Char!" _...Hmph! _Crossing his arms, Blaze rudely looked away from Lyfa, surprising the female Trainer.

"Huh? What's wrong?" Recalling the shocked look on Blaze's face when Lyfa forcibly recalled him back into his Pokeball, Lyfa figured out the problem. "Oh, I see. You didn't like it when I forced you back into your Pokeball, right?"

Blaze turned to her and nodded, still angry about before. "Char char! Char charmander? Char char char charmander charmander!" _Of course! What did you expect? I was still ready to go when you stoled all my glory! _

Lyfa kneeled down and gave him an apologetic smile. "I'm sorry for all that. But now's your chance to fight, right?"

Reverting back to his opponent, Blaze knew that his owner was right. From the looks of things, it seemed that Lyfa chose Silica for her second Pokemon, as evident of the String Shots all around. Well, at least the Caterpie did something right. Onix was completely immobilized by the String Shot except for the tail area, giving Blaze a bit of an advantage.

"Alright, Blaze! Get on top of Onix and keep using Scratch!" ordered Lyfa.

Complying, Blaze leapt off the ground and landed against the wall, which he used to launch himself towards the top of Onix's head, landing there safely. However, the first thing he felt around his legs and ankles was the sticky substance of String Shot, causing him to recoil in disgust.

"Onix! Get Charmander off your head!" shouted Brock.

The more Onix moved, the more threads of silk were ripped apart as Onix tried thrashing around some move. However, thanks to the String Shot wrapped around Blaze's feet, Blaze was able to prevent himself from falling as he prepared to unleash his Scratch rampage.

"Char char!" _Here goes! _Blaze started slashing and hacking at the top of Onix's head, and even though his body was as hard as a rock, small scratches were formed on his head, causing Onix to flinch and winch at every Scratch attack.

Brock gritted his teeth, knowing that if this kept up, Onix would definitely lose for sure! An idea popped into his mind before he yelled, "Onix! Move around while using Rock Polish!"

Body glowing white, Onix roared before attempting to circle around the sticky field, struggling to break free of the String Shot. The faster he went, the more the threads began to break loose. Blaze tried to ignore Onix's attempts and continue his Scratch attacks, but the faster Onix went, Blaze became more and more dizzy. forcing him to stop attacking and hang onto Onix's rocky spine.

The speed Onix was going through was enough to caused the String Shot entangling the rest of his body to burn away, including the stick substance attaching to Blaze's feet. Blaze's arms couldn't hold it much longer, causing Blaze to release his grip on Onix and smashed against the wall before falling down.

"Blaze! Are you okay?!" called out Lyfa. When Blaze got up by struggling through his wounds, Lyfa sighed in relief and took out Blaze's Pokeball. "Good. Now, return!"

When the red beam shot out, Blaze glanced behind his shoulder and ran out of the way, causing the red beam to miss. Confused, Lyfa continued to aim the Pokeball at Blaze, but no matter what, Blaze continued dodging.

"Blaze? What are you doing? You're injured!" cried out Lyfa, unable to bear seeing her Charmander suffer anymore. "That's enough! You've done enough!"

Too focused on his opponent, Blaze decided to take matters onto his own hands. He roared before charging in, ignoring Lyfa's cries as he prepared an Ember attack.

"Blaze! Stop! Please, listen to me! BLAZE!"

**SLAM! **No matter how hard Blaze's efforts were, he instantly blacked out the second Onix slammed his tail against his body, sending the Charmander's frail body flying across the field before landing near Lyfa.

"Blaze! Blaze!" Lyfa bent down and began shaking Blaze's unconscious body. His injuries were more battered than before, which was a bad sign. She used his Pokeball and sent him back.

"Charmander is unable to battle! Onix wins! Which means the winner goes to Brock, the Gym Leader of Pewter City!" announced the referee before Lyfa rushed out of the Gym to head for the nearest Pokemon Center, not caring about anything else but the safety of her Pokemon.

* * *

_Hours later at the Pokemon Center... _

Blaze slowly woke up, though he had bandages covering his arms, legs, and around his forehead. Everywhere he moved, pain instantly fell into his system, causing him to groan and grunt with every second. He managed to stand up and started moving around, getting off the operation table he had been sleeping on.

Nurse Joy entered inside the treatment room and spotted Blaze up and moving. When she saw the Charmander growing cautious of her, Nurse Joy giggled and held up a hand. "Hello, Charmander. Don't worry, you're safe. You fainted in a battle and your wounds are being treated. I just came to check up on you."

Blaze tilted his head before asking, "Char, charmander char? Char?" _Hey, where's my Trainer? Lyfa? _

As if understanding the Charmander, Nurse Joy simply replied, "If you're wondering where your owner is, she left, saying she needed some alone time and wanted to let you and her Caterpie rest. If you're up for it, then you can play in the Pokemon Center backyard, where all Pokemon are welcomed."

Thinking he might as well do something, he nodded and allowed the pink-haired human to escort him towards the backyard, where a lot of Pokemon were gathered. He spotted Silica eating a leaf happily and recognized her due to her green ribbon attached to her antenna.

Blaze walked up to Silica just as she was finishing up. "Cat! Cat, caterpie! Caterpie pie?" _Oh! Hi, Blaze! How are you? _

"...Char, charmander." _Dandy, I guess. _Blaze didn't seem all motivated though, as he was avoiding Silica's gaze and crossing his arms.

Silica tilted her head. "Cat...Caterpie pie. Cater, pie caterpie cater caterpie caterpie cat cat caterpie caterpie pie-" _But...you don't seem fine. I mean, you're all injured and you're not as confident as you are now and-" _

Blaze whirled towards her, more enraged and ignited than ever. "Char, charmander char, char?! Charmander char char charmander charmander CHAR CHAR!" _Look, I'm fine, okay?! I'm just super pissed off that I lost and it's all LYFA"S FAULT! _

Stunned, the Pokemon in the backyard went silent upon hearing Blaze's outrageous claim, even Silica. But, Silica felt a swell of pride that had been insulted upon when Lyfa was mentioned, so without thinking, she started arguing back.

"Cater cater? Caterpie cat cat cat caterpie! Caterpie, cat caterpie pie pie cat cat cat!" _Lyfa's fault? No way is any of this her fault! If anything, you're the one who should be blamed for! _

Shocked, Blaze went from surprised to angry. "CHAR. CHAR. CHAR. CHAR?!" _WHAT. DID. YOU. SAY?! _

Not stepping down, though a little scared, Silica continued her claim, glaring back at Blaze. "CAT caterpie caterpie cater cat! Cat cat, caterpie cater pie pie!" _YOU were the one who caused everyone trouble and lost! And now, you're trying to blame it on our owner! _

"Charmander char char?! Charmander char?! Charmander char char char!" _You wanna say that again?! You wanna go?! I can take you on any day! _To prove his point, Blaze was about to unleash a powerful Ember when Silica was quick to use String Shot to keep his mouth shut.

Springing forward, Silica tackled Blaze to the ground and continued to headbutt him on the head using her own head. Furious, Blaze grabbed Silica's sides and tossed her off, causing her to slam into a tree as Blaze lunged for her. Silica quickly recovered and moved out of the way, witnessing Blaze hit his head against the tree.

All other Pokemon in the area stood back, watching the fight from the sidelines. Some Pokemon were too small and unable to stop the fight as they were too scared, but the others were cheering the two Pokemon on.

* * *

_Meanwhile, near a stream... _

Lyfa was sitting on some rocks near a stream, staring at her own clear reflection on the water. Javelin was soaring in circles and performing one of her air dances in the air, trying to cheer up Lyfa. Since Javelin was the only Pokemon not called out to battle today, Lyfa decided to take her along just in case some wild Pokemon tried to attack her.

"Good battle today," spoke a voice from behind as footsteps approached Lyfa from behind.

Alerted, Lyfa stood up and spun around, shouting, "Javelin, use-!" She stopped when she saw it was only Brock, the opponent she lost to.

"...W-where you about to have your Spearow attack me?" asked Brock as Javelin flew and landed on Lyfa's hat.

"Yes."

_'Not even hesitating, huh?' _thought Brock, sweatdropping. "Well, anyways, I wanted to talk to you. Tell me something. Do you understand the type and characteristics of your Pokemon? Do you know why you lost?"

Lyfa nodded. "It's because Bug, Fire, and Flying-Types are weak against Rock-Types. Even so, I didn't care about that."

"That's half of the reason," admitted Brock, acknowledging the basic facts about type advantages and disadvantages. "But there's more to it. Your Pokemon weren't in sync. It means that even though you care for them, you weren't fully connected."

"...I'm confused."

"Well..." Thinking about it, Brock spoke up, "Do you remember when you sent your injured Charmander last? In the end, he chose to ignore your orders. Do you know why?"

Lyfa shook her head. Come to think of it, she hasn't thought of why Blaze hadn't obeyed her orders before.

"It's because you need to understand your Pokemon's feelings," explained Brock. "Every Pokemon, no matter what they are, has a different personality. Your Caterpie seems to be loyal to you, but your Charmander? Not so much. A lot of Charmanders are a lot like yours; hotheaded, ignorant, and quick to battle. That's not always a bad thing, though it makes training your Charmander harder. It was probably upset that you sent it back in its Pokeball right when it took damage the first time it met my Onix. In a way, it was probably insulted."

"...Should I apologize? I didn't mean to hurt Blaze's feelings," admitted Lyfa sadly.

"That's up to you," said Brock. "But, the more time you spend with your Pokemon, they'll repay all your kindness and caring heart through other methods. I should know since I've experienced that sort of love many times. Also because I'm a Pokemon Breeder, someone who cares and looks after other Pokemon."

"...How is that different from a Trainer?"

"Well, Pokemon Breeders strengthen their Pokemon and most don't even battle, only care for their well beings. But we've gone off topic," said Brock. "The point is, you did good out there. You used strategies I've never seen any Trainer used and tried to turn the tide to your side even though you had obvious disadvantages. Even so, it's not enough and you need to grow stronger."

"By training?"

"Yes, but also by connecting with your Pokemon. And maybe this will help. What does battling with Pokemon really all about? If you know, then it shouldn't be a problem with you connecting and bonding with your Pokemon."

"I don't know the answer," admitted Lyfa quickly.

Brock sweatdropped. "Not right now! You don't have to answer now, but just...think about it, okay?"

"Brock!" called out the referee from before. "I've been looking all over for you! There's trouble in the Pokemon Center! A Charmander and a Caterpie are having an all-out brawl!"

"What?!" both Lyfa and Brock exclaimed. Both of them knew whose Charmander and Caterpie the referee was talking about, so the three of them rushed back to the Pokemon Center as fast as they could.

Back at the Pokemon Center, Nurse Joy escorted the trio towards the backyard where Silica and Blaze were still fighting, but both were badly injured. Threads of string were on Blaze's head and burn marks were scattered on Silica's body.

Before the two Pokemon could continue, Lyfa ran in the middle of the two, ceasing their fight. ''Both of you! STOP IT!" she spoke in a strict tone. "What's going on?"

"Char charmander char!" _She started it! _Blaze accused, pointing to Silica.

Silica shook her head. "Cat?! Caterpie caterpie cater cater pie! Caterpie pie cater!" _Me?! You tried to blame everything on Lyfa! I won't forgive you for that! _

Javelin blinked her eyes. "Spear, spear spearow spear spear. Spearow spear spear." _Wow, I never expected Silica to start a fight. Guess my elegance didn't predict this. _

Kneeling down, Lyfa scooped up both Silica and Blaze in her arms. "...I'm sorry for causing trouble if this is any of my fault," she apologized. "Silica, I'm sorry for forcing you to do so much in the last battle."

Silica shook her head frantically. "Cat! Cat! Caterpie cater, cater!" _No! No! I don't blame you for anything, Lyfa! _

Turning to Blaze, all Lyfa could offer was an apologetic smile. "And, I'm sorry for stopping your fight with Onix halfway. I was only worried about you. But, I didn't think about your feelings, huh? I'm truly sorry, but could the two of you stop fighting?"

Blaze paused to think for a second and cool his hot head. Hmm...it was true that he was and is still angry at Lyfa from the last battle he suffered, but he was weak to Rock-Types, and that was their first Gym Battle. Plus before all that, he's managed to win his battles thanks to Lyfa's instructions, so he might as well forgive her. He nodded, saying that he agreed with her request.

"I'm so glad, the both of you."

Brock smiled upon the small interaction, having a feeling that the next time he and Lyfa battled, it would definitely be something to remember by. He turned around and left, wanting to go train his Pokemon.

* * *

**Finished at last! Whew! First Gym Battle! How do you guys like it?**

**Oh, and from now on, I'll stop with the whole "Char, charmander" and "Cater! Caterpie!" I dunno, it's a bit of a nuisance, but I'll still be able to translate what other Pokemon are saying through different use!**

**That said, read and review!**


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